Friday, September 19, 2014

Parastatals need to up their game

According to the Midweek Sun, The Minister of Transport and Communications signed performance agreements with Board chairpersons of parastatal bodies that fall under his ministry. All sounds good. Here is a performance suggestion for parastatals - to publish annual reports on time. A recent check of parastatal websites showed the most recent annual reports available for download are as follows:

2013
Bank of Botswana
Botswana Power Corporation
Botswana Development Corporation
Botswana Post
2012
Botswana Telecommunications Corporation
Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency
2011
Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board
2010
Botswana Housing Corporation
2009
Botswana Railways
2008
Botswana Meat Commission
No Annual Reports
Air Botswana
Botswana Savings Bank
National Development Bank 

If the Bank of Botswana can publish its annual report within six months of its financial year end, and companies listed on the Botswana Stock Exchange have to publish their annual financial statements within the same period, why can't other parastatals do the same? Clearly many of them have a long way to go to deliver on their accountability to the public - their ultimate owners.