BNSC Forges Ahead with Revenue Generation Plan Amid Rising Expenditure Costs

Sunday Standard BNSC Forges Ahead with Revenue Generation Plan Amid Rising Expenditure Costs The Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC) is forging ahead with its initiatives to generate own revenue streams as expenditure continues to outpace revenue growth. BNSC Director – Business Development and Property Management Services Stephen Makuke said this when fielding questions before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Statutory Bodies and State-Owned Enterprises this past Thursday. The BNSC, which is the supreme sport governing body in the country, is mainly funded by the government, with minimum funds generated by the commission. Makuke says the minimal revenue generation by the BNSC came as its income stream ‘is very limited.’ “Our income stream is around leasing facilities. That is how we generate money. But you will know that these facilities are also meant for sports development. So, the fees we charge are very minimal as we are dealing with associations which are struggling. They cannot pay the market rates for these facilities. As such, the facilities are not generating enough revenue that can make us sustainable.” To mitigate this, the commission found it imperative to come up with measures that will diversify its income streams. Chief among these is the commercialization of the commission’s piece of land measuring 100 hectares which is around the national stadium area. “We have master planned that area, so that we can commercialize some of the land around the national stadium for income generation as part of our real estates’ portfolio development. The master plan has been approved, has passed all the stages approved by the Gaborone City Council, approved by the board and submitted to the Ministry. We are currently implementing the masterplan as part of our drive to generate our own sustainable income revenue.” As part of the implementation of the plan, Makuke says the BNSC had recently floated an expression of interest to potential investors to develop a modern retail mall by the Notwane Grounds. He says the tender closed this past Wednesday, just a day prior to the BNSC’s appearance before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Statutory Bodies and State-Owned Enterprises. In order not to deviate from the commission’s core mandate, which is sports development, Makuke says processes are underway to form a company to deal with the BNSC’s commercialization initiatives. “We realized that as a commission, our core mandate is sports development. We do not want to find ourselves migrating from that mandate in pursuit of commercializing. So, we have proposed the formation of a subsidiary company that will deal specifically with income and investments for the commission. That process was initiated and approved by the board. At the time the board was resolved, the company was at a formation stage. The names had been reserved with CIPA.”  Meanwhile, when presenting the commission’s report earlier, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Olebile Sikwane said its financial position for the period 2021 – 2024 showed ‘steady growth in both revenue generation and program expenditure.’ The growth is said to be largely driven by ‘increased government grants and expansion of sporting activities and development programs. In the period under review, BNSC income ‘significantly grew from approximately P96.2 million in 2021 to P164.1 million in 2025.’ During the same period, the commission’s expenditure is said to have grown from P78 million in 2021 to P182.6 million in 2024 before declining to P157.4 million in 2025. The increase in expenditure has been attributed to a number of factors. The increase in expenditure is largely attributed to growth in operational costs, expanded support to national sports associations (NSAs) and increased funding towards special projects and major sporting programs. “NSA’s distribution more than doubled during this period, rising from P19.3 million in 2021 to P44.6 million in 2025,” Sikwane informed the PSC. He says the increase ‘demonstrates the commission’s commitment to sport development and athlete support.’ According to the BNSC CEO, during the period under review, the commission’s surplus margins ‘have narrowed considerably compared to the earlier years, declining from P18.2 million in 2021 to P3 million in 2023, before recovering modestly in 2024 and 2025.’ Sikwane says this is reflective of the increasing pressure on BNSC’s operational sustainability as expenditure ‘continues to grow to outpace revenue growth in several areas.’ This led the commission to strengthen its internal revenue generation ‘as part of its broader financial sustainability strategy.’ Through this process, ‘revenue generated in the period under review demonstrates ‘steady post-pandemic recovery, with significant growth achieved in the last three financial years.’ Revenue created by the commission climbed from P2 053 614. 76 in the 2021/22 financial year to P4 982 965. 24 in the just ended 2024/25 financial year, thus indicating ‘strong recovery and improved financial performance over the period under review.’ The BNSC CEO says these revenues were generated through stadia facility bookings, gym subscriptions, athletes’ village accommodation bookings, property rentals, including Avani Gardens, BNSC awards income as well as advertising and billboards rentals. The post BNSC Forges Ahead with Revenue Generation Plan Amid Rising Expenditure Costs first appeared on Sunday Standard and is written by Sunday Standard Reporter