GABORONE - Government has completed a pilot Public Private Partnership (PPP) project on office accommodation for the Ombudsman and Land Tribunal.

The construction was completed in July 2008.

This was said by the Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Mr Kenneth Matambo when answering a question in Parliament last week.

He highlighted that the PPP agreement was between the government and a consortium consisting of citizen owned companies.

This consortium, he said, is registered as a special purpose company called Plot 21 Investment.

On other issues, the senior equity partners in the consortium are Stocks & Stocks, which is a company registered in Botswana with citizen shareholders and Outsourcing Botswana, which is a majority citizen-owned maintenance company.

Minister Matambo explained that Botswana Insurance Fund Management (BIFM), which is the financier, is a company listed on the Botswana Stock Exchange, with the Botswana public holding 46 per cent shareholding.

Furthermore, he maintained that during the project design and construction, CPM Architects, which has 60 per cent citizen shareholding, AR Edwards for electrical works, which also has majority citizen shareholding of 60 per cent. Other stake holders include CCMI were the quantity surveyors with 15 per cent citizen minority shareholding and KGP Pty Ltd, which is a wholly citizen owned company which undertook the archaeological studies.

He also highlighted that as part of governments outsourcing programme, different ministries and departments have outsourced to citizen companies, services such as security, gardening and catering.

In addition, he maintained that cabinet has recently approved a PPP Policy and Framework to guide the implementation of PPP projects in Botswana, both in central government and local authorities. BOPA