BAMB plans sweeping reforms and possible private partnerships after fraud, procurement failures and operational weaknesses triggered losses exceeding P112 million
BONGANI MALUNGA
The Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board (BAMB) is considering a major strategic overhaul, including a possible Public Private Partnership (PPP), after suffering losses amounting to P112.4 million between 2022 and 2025 amid deep-rooted operational failures, fraud and weak procurement systems.
Appearing before Parliament’s Standing Committee on Statutory Bodies and State Enterprises on Monday, BAMB Chief Executive Officer Lilian Scheepers said the parastatal could no longer continue operating under its current model and needed to be repositioned as a commercially driven agribusiness.
POTENTIAL INVESTORS
Scheepers revealed that preliminary engagements had already been held with potential investors who have existing investment portfolios across Africa, as BAMB looks to stabilise its finances and modernise operations.
“BAMB can make money. No other agribusiness is spread across the nation like we are. We need to rebuild the entity and treat BAMB like a business. I am hoping that the board that has been appointed is strong enough and a business minded one that knows how to turn around situations as critical as BAMB’s,” said Scheepers.
The CEO expressed optimism that a newly appointed board, sanctioned by the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture, would help ease operational pressures provided there is alignment between management and the board.
GRIM PICTURE
Scheepers painted a grim picture of an institution weighed down by years of internal inefficiencies, poor controls and suspected fraud.
Among the issues exposed was a logistics scandal involving tonnes of sorghum worth P450 000 that disappeared in February this year while being transported to BAMB’s Pandamatenga branch. A random verification exercise reportedly found that 2160 bags of 50kg sorghum stock had not been captured in BAMB’s retail system, raising concerns over supply chain accountability.
FUEL FRAUD
Scheepers also highlighted widespread fuel management irregularities, revealing that although BAMB has not had a fuel supply contract since 2018, there are still 218 active fuel tags in the supplier’s system. She further disclosed that trucks which have long been out of service due to breakdowns continue to reflect fuel consumption records, while incomplete repair histories have not stopped payments to mechanical service providers.
The CEO also pointed to weak procurement discipline and incomplete paperwork trails affecting supplier payments, warning that the lack of proper documentation and accountability mechanisms had created loopholes for financial leakages across the organisation.