Statistics Botswana flat broke

Statistics Botswana flat broke

• Suspend 2025 Agric census due to budget constraints
• Struggles to pay staff salaries, suppliers, etc
• Management reported to minister, misappropriationalleged

BAKANG TIRO

editors@thepatriot.co.bw

National statistics custodian, Statistics Botswana (SB) finds themselves in financial dire straits, which has resulted in suspension of the key national projects among them 2025 Agricultural Census, The Patriot on Sunday has learnt.

The agency has been grappling with recurring financial challenges, which prompted the Ministry of Finance to repeatedly extend financial rescue to SB on several occasions.A letter addressed to SB management and general employees by Acting Statistician General, Dr Lucky Mokgatlhe dated 04 August 2025 announced suspension of the 2025 Agricultural Census.

He said of late, SB management has been constrained to steer the organization into executing itsmandate due to the severe financial austerity facing all Ministerial Departments and Agencies (MDAS) in the country.To this end, Dr Mokgatlhe said SB has not received any financial support from government under the development budget. He buttressed that this has adversely affected the two major ongoing projects of the Botswana Multi Topic Household Survey (BMTHS) and Agriculture Census.