Strategy Management

Strategic planning as a process for creating and describing a better future for any organization involves selecting the best means to achieve the desired results. The Attorney General’s Chambers started this route since the first strategic plan of 2000-2005. The department has continued to make strides in improvement of service delivery by employing Performance Management System principles of continuous improvement in the delivery of quality legal service to customers and stakeholders. The need for strategic planning came about upon a realization of the continual transformation of organizations around the world. For Ministries to balance the act of doing the right things and doing things right, there is need to develop good strategies and efficient operations to deliver the products and services. In the Republic of Botswana there was a call for result based planning and for Ministries to direct their focus to the National Vision 2036. These plans would in turn create alignment between organizational goals and the country’s goal towards the realization of the long term Vision.

In its continued efforts to achieve world class excellence in service delivery as the Principal Legal Advisor to Government in the public interest, the Attorney General’s Chambers’ third edition of the strategic plan was developed for period 2017-2023 and a subsequent review of 2010-2017.

During the end of 2017, the Attorney General’s Chambers saw a need to further review the old strategy to take into consideration the needs of the customers and staff members as per customer satisfaction and staff perception surveys. The level of satisfaction with our service was still low for our customers, and staff expressed dissatisfaction with the work environment. Tools have been devised to address staff complaints and the new revised strategy is more customer focused than the previous one.

The 2017-2023 strategic plan places more emphasis on the need for efficiency and effectiveness in a fast growing and sophisticated economy. It adds onto what has already been laid down as a foundation for excellence in the past strategic plans for step by step improvement. Its acceptance as a guide to improved service delivery, combined with the cascading of various reform initiatives, will transform the Attorney General’s Chambers’ image and staff perception to become a “Place to work” and a “Legal Advisor of Worth”

The current strategy planning exercise for the department provided an opportunity to reposition the organization to successfully deliver in line with NDP 11, which calls for more emphasis on result based monitoring and evaluation of projects by all Ministries and Parastatals.

As the National Vision 2036 envisages prosperity for all Botswana citizens through the attainment of various pillars, the Attorney General’s Chambers’ strategic themes are geared towards achieving this long-term Vision and the National Development Plan 11 goals.

 To realize its vision, the Attorney General’s Chambers has focused its strategy on the following Strategy Themes, which are complimented by various programmes and projects;

The Attorney General’s Chambers has a duty to ensure prompt delivery of professional legal services. To realize this, some services have been decentralized to client Ministries through the secondment strategy whereby State Counsel are seconded to various Ministries and Departments to provide in-house legal services, and to ensure that where the assistance of the Attorney General’s Chambers is sought, instructions received are clear, specific and complete.

Services have also been decentralized through the establishment of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) which provides services in more locations where there are Magistrate Courts. Regional offices have been opened in Maun, Francistown, Lobatse, Palapye and Selebi-Phikwe. The taking over of prosecution functions by the DPP from the Botswana Police and the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) is also a major project which has yielded positive results to the justice system.

The capacity of the department in terms of its human resources has strengthened over the years. Staff retention is still a challenge as most of the incentives that staff suggest are monetary and not sustainable. Efforts are being made with the Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM) to assist the department in the era of increased resignations due to high market demand.