The Botswana district roads labour‐intensive improvement and maintenance programme — A summary

Two major themes of Botswana's Fifth and Sixth Development Plans (1976‐1991) have been the creation of employment and rural development As one means of fulfilling both objectives, the Government of Botswana explicity decided that labour‐intensive methods should be used by District Councils to improve and maintain the 13 000 kilometres of non‐gazetted roads for which they were responsible. To this end, between 1980 and 1982, a pilot project was carried out to examine the potential of labour‐intensive methods. In 1982, following its evaluation of the pilot project, the Ministry of Local Government and Lands decided that the methods developed during the pilot project should be replicated throughout Botswana. As a result, District Council Roads Units have been established in all districts of Botswana. Over 2 000 people are employed.

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Professor of Civil Engineering (Project and Construction Management), University of the Witwatersrand.