Botswana’s government plans to boost the adoption of electronic payments in the country.

Acting permanent secretary in the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Cornelius Dekop, has said that with effect from 1 April this year, electronic transfers (EFTs) are to become the preferred method of payment among government departments.

“Suppliers are encouraged to use EFT since it is faster, secure and convenient,” said Dekop.

In addition, the country’s government plans to replace manual purchase orders with system generated forms. The forms stem from a Government Accounting and Budgeted System (GABS) installed in 2004.

Botswana officials say this system provides a better method of managing budgets, recording revenue collections and expenditures, controlling spending, as well as providing relevant, timely and accurate on-line information on ministries.

The ministry of finance is furthermore in the process of creating a database of suppliers and individuals that government frequently makes payments on the GABS system.