Date
2020-04
Authors
Marumo, Davis
Journal Title
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Abstract
The objective of this policy note is to inform the government of Botswana,
especially the Ministry of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services,
mandated to oversee land administration and management in the country, that
Botswana lacks comprehensive datasets on socio-economic aspects of land and
land-related issues to effectively inform land policy decisions in the country.
Socioeconomic surveys conducted by Statistics Botswana are not focused on
land matters. Survey questionnaires that are used to collect data lacked many
thematic and targeted questions on socio-economic aspects of land and land
related matters. Even those few questions asked were focused more on type and
tenure of housing units and land ownership in the agricultural sector at the expense
of non – agricultural sectors of the economy. The available socio-economic data on
land were largely administrative, incomplete and not readily retrieval by users. The
databases were not updated timely or the data were presented in non-consistent
formats. Users find it difficult to use the data from different local and central authorities
owing to such data inconsistencies. The land administration and management sector
lacks a complete, well-coordinated, integrated, centralized and digitized (electronic)
land data management system at the moment. Many key stakeholders and majority
of their personnel lacked adequate knowledge and skills in identifying measureable
socio-economic indicators in land-related matters they deal with in their workplaces.
Botswana needs to adopt a three-prolong strategy to (1) improve coordination and
management of production and dissemination of socio-economic statistics on land,
(2) strengthen human resource development and management capacity to generate,
manage, analyze and disseminate socio-economic statistics and information on land
and (3) strengthen socio-economic statistical development institutions, processes
and tools used to collect data among local and government authorities and other key
stakeholders on land. This strategy requires existence of socio-economic land data
production and quality improvement policy in the country. There is need for the MLWS in
collaboration with Statistics Botswana to train key stakeholders in land-related matters
to produce and manage quality socio-economic data in the workplace to inform land
policy decisions in the country. Relevant academic programmes may be developed in
tertiary education institutions to impart knowledge and skills on socio-economic land
data management, use and land policy formulation and analysis.