The Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) Bill set to be tabled before the July 2025 Parliament session, will amongst others compel Community Based Organisations (CBOs) to develop and implement Urban/Village Development Plans in conjunction with other local, district and national structures to facilitate fair and equitable distribution of wealth and revenue amongst communities.
Following incorporation of comments from all stakeholders the Bill has been finalised and ready for progression to the next stages of development including submission to Cabinet, which was done this week.
This was revealed by the Minister of Environment and Tourism, Wynter Mmolotsi at the occasion of the breakfast meeting with CBNRM business partners for briefing and feedback on the development of the bill that was held in Gaborone this week.
Mmolotsi said that the proposed bill will have the mandate of overseeing all operations of CBOs and which will place them in a better position to recommend, develop and implement improved measures where the need arises in order to enhance the impact of the programme.
“This is an appeal to the Development Partners, Private Sector, Academia and Research Institutions, Non-Governmental Organisations, to take responsibility in improving the livelihoods of Batswana. We therefore call upon partners present here today to synergise their efforts with government for the realisation of this Bill in law, once approved,” said Mmolotsi.
Through this programme, Mmolotsi noted that his ministry plays a critical role in the economy of the country and it is their desire to see CBNRM Programme being one of the lead sectors in achieving this.
He further stated the bill is intended to strengthen institutional and legal arrangements regarding the implementation of the programme including but not limited to, legally defining rights of CBOs, defining roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders within the CBNRM space, and constituting CBNRM support structures.
Mmolotsi added that the bill is therefore expected to strengthen coordination, regulation and control on the operations of CBOs as well as improve their beneficiation from natural resources while ensuring environmental protection and conservation, all within the principles of good governance.
He stated that the formulation of the CBNRM Bill has been necessitated by the fact that over the years the CBNRM programme faced a lot of implementation challenges which hampered it to meet expectations of the communities such as creation of employment and improvement of people’s livelihoods.
“The salient ones amongst others include, poor governance at community level/lack of proper accountability by boards, mismanagement of funds by the CBOs, decisions taken without the involvement of Technical Advisory Committees leading to poor decision making. As an industry, we are famous for ‘go ja madi a sechaba’ and therefore reforms in this sector are critical,” said Mmolotsi.
He added that with over 165 CBOs registered countrywide, they could be realising progress in terms of developments, and however this was the opposite as some communities living in those areas are not benefiting from their resources.
According to Mmolotsi, the consultative meeting was a platform for key stakeholders, partners and friends of ministry to ensure they engage each other in enhancing the proposed legislation, in shaping the future of CBNRM sector for years to come.
