Government’s efforts to accelerate land delivery under the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme have suffered a significant setback, with authorities missing their residential plot allocation target by nearly 65 percent during the 2025/26 financial year.
The shortfall was revealed during the 62nd Public Accounts Committee (PAC) hearing, when Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Water and Human Settlement, Boikhutso Bothole, presented the ministry’s performance report before lawmakers.
According to the figures, land authorities allocated only 15,995 residential plots nationwide against a target of 44,884 plots, leaving a deficit of 28,889 allocations.
The failure is expected to worsen pressure on already lengthy land waiting lists as demand for residential, commercial, and agricultural land continues to grow alongside rapid urbanisation and population expansion.
While the ministry highlighted previous successes in tribal land distribution including the allocation of more than 54,000 residential plots by March 2023 the latest performance figures point to persistent structural challenges affecting the land delivery system.
Appearing before the PAC, Bothole attributed the shortfall to a combination of financial, technical, and administrative constraints.
Among the key challenges identified were escalating compensation costs associated with land acquisition for settlement expansion, coupled with insufficient funding to compensate affected landholders.
Bothole also cited lengthy planning and surveying processes, as well as slow approval timelines, which continue to delay the release of allocation-ready land, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas where demand is highest.
Additionally, fragmented institutional systems and continued reliance on manual administrative processes were highlighted as major factors slowing decision-making and implementation across the land sector.
In response to the challenges, Bothole told the committee that government has intensified interventions aimed at improving land supply and streamlining the land allocation process.
Among the initiatives being implemented are the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme Land Lab and the Water and Wall Room initiatives, which seek to improve coordination and remove bottlenecks throughout the land delivery value chain.
The ministry is also accelerating the rollout and integration of digital platforms, including the Land Information System (LIS) and the Integrated Geographic Information System (IGIS), to improve efficiency, transparency, and coordination.
Government has further committed to speeding up planning and surveying approvals while strengthening collaboration among agencies involved in land administration.
Despite the disappointing allocation figures, Bothole reported significant progress in land surveying activities.
During the 2025/26 financial year, a total of 44,112 plots were surveyed across the country. Of these, 14,628 have already received approval, while a further 31,696 plots are undergoing quality control assessments before being cleared for allocation.
Bothole expressed optimism that once the approval process is completed, the surveyed plots will substantially increase the stock of available land and help address growing demand.
For thousands of citizens waiting for land allocations across the country, however, the pace at which surveyed plots are converted into allocated plots remains a pressing concern.
