Study flags deep flaws in Parliament’s budget oversight

Botswana’s parliamentary oversight of public finances is constrained by structural and legal weaknesses that limit legislators’ ability to effectively hold the executive to account, a new study by the Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis (BIDPA) has found.

The working paper, authored by Keneilwe Pearl Marata, examines the effectiveness of Parliament’s Finance and Estimates Committee (FEC) and Public Accounts Committee (PAC), concluding that while both are central to democratic accountability, their powers, resources and operating frameworks fall short of international best practice.