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Botswana's immigration reform
If reform is what is needed in Botswana to improve
competitiveness, then there is little choice but for President Ian Khama to
take a personal and direct role in assuring that real reforms actually occur,
writes ROMAN GRYNBERG*
When the reform of Botswana's immigration system hit the
front pages last week, what was sadly missed is that there are vital lessons to
be learned on the future reform of the economy. Of late the performance of the
Botswana economy has been well below its previous performance. Growth rates of
slightly over 3 percent from 2000-2010 have been below the sub-Saharan African
average of 4.6 percent for the last decade. Botswana, which was once the envy
of all in Africa, and while still reasonably stable and successful, is no
longer seen as the 'blue- eyed boy' of the World Bank and International
Monetary Fund.
Not only have Botswana's growth rates not been up to African
standards; according to the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business index and the
World Economic Forum's Competitiveness Index, Botswana has been sliding down
the rankings over the years. The government has taken these matters very
seriously indeed, and President Ian Khama has done the right thing by taking
them up at high government level. A cabinet sub-committee has been formed to address
the decline and implement measures to increase the ease of doing business and
increase Botswana's competitiveness. But what the immigration saga highlights
is the dilemma that the country faces in attempting to reform a business
environment that is seen in many quarters as no longer being very business
friendly. One of the most persistent complaints of the private sector in
Botswana has been that they have not been able to procure work permits for
necessary staff that they have to bring in from abroad. Where the skills are
not available locally but a business is to flourish, then it needs to bring in
foreigners.
The immigration system that existed until the most recent
reforms was seen by most businessmen as highly flawed. It was not transparent,
it appeared arbitrary and the potential for challenging a decision seemed
limited.So the government requested the country's most eminent economist, Dr
Keith Jefferis, to propose reforms in immigration that would make Botswana more
business friendly. Dr Jefferis proposed a system that was internationally
recognised and, at least in theory, addressed the main concerns of the private
sector. Dr Jefferis went straight to the international points based system
(PBS) which assigns points to individuals wishing to enter the country to work.
Points are awarded for a host of characteristics, including education, job
offer, language, skills, skill scarcity and the points are tallied up. If you
reach the threshold, you are granted a work and residence permit. The beauty of
the system, at least on paper, is that it has characteristics that make it very
appealing to the business community.
The PBS is supposed to be transparent with the desired
attributes of immigrants identified, along with relative importance. It is also
supposed to be a flexible system because the points awarded can easily change
along with the demands of the labour market. The system is also objective as
the system awards points and is in theory not subject to the whims of any
individual. It is comprehensive and efficient as in theory decisions can be
taken quickly and the characteristics applied to a host of different
categories, including both employers and employees.The beauty of the system is
also that it is the one used by a whole host of countries that welcome
immigrants, including Australia, Canada, the UK and New Zealand, hence Botswana
was in a position to benchmark against other countries.
