Botswana wants to shrink civil service so privatisation can grow the economy
Botswana’s new leader wants to shrink the civil service, sell state companies and cut red tape as he targets increased foreign investment. President Mokgweetsi Masisi has identified reducing the country’s reliance on diamonds and creating jobs for the almost one in five workers who are unemployed as his top priorities since taking office six weeks ago. Private companies will have to take the lead, he said in a May 14 interview in his office in the capital, Gaborone. "The government in and of itself does not really create jobs," Masisi said. "It is not my desire to grow the public service any bigger; if anything, it is my desire to trim the civil service so we are more efficient, we are leaner, meaner, and we can do business and we are more attractive to the private sector for them to invest." The nation’s former vice-president, Masisi automatically took over the top post when Ian Khama completed his second five-year term, and intends standing for election in October next year. Masis...
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