CEO, Executives in P20 million NARDI gravy

CEO and Executive Directors rake in millions in salaries for doing nothing

The National Agricultural Research and Development Institute ( NARDI) is yet to take off and execute its mandate two years after its Chief Executive Officer followed by Executive Directors, were appointed.

NARDI is led by Dr. Bernard Tubego- Bulawayo who was appointed CEO in November 2019 as per the NARDI Staff establishment Document Number NARDI/ HR/ B/ 22 seen by this publication.

NARDI was set up following government’s decision through the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security acting on a Presidential Directive CAB 4 ( A) 2011 to merge the National Food Technology Resource Centre ( NFTRC), the Department of Agricultural Research ( DAR) and the Botswana National Veterinary Laboratory ( BNVL).

NARDI was supposed to reduce public expenditure and improve cost efficiencies among parastatals and public entities through shared institutional resources and services.

However, this dream of reducing the expenditure seems to be a fallacy as the merger is yet to take full force, ten years since the 2011 Presidential Directive.

In fact, NARDI has only increased the number of parastatals and as things stand, all its four constituent institutions are operational and continue to bleed public coffers with the non- functional NARDI recently getting P20 million from the Ministry’s 2021/ 22 budget which will go towards the hefty salaries of the CEO and his Executives.

While the merger stalls, executives at NARDI rake in lots of money in salaries at the same time doing nothing as per the expected mandate of the organisation.

A confidential document from the organisation titled NARDI REMUNERATION POLICY AND STRUCTURE shows that NARDI has adopted the Hay Job Evaluation System as the basis for determining the relative worth of each job within job families. The structure has 12 grades ranging from Band 1 at the top down to Band 12 at the bottom. According to the structure the CEO at Band 1 ( Hay Units: 1628) receives a basic salary of P110, 183.33 per month and under Gross Fixed Annual remuneration gets P139, 729.16 per month. Executive Directors Band 2 ( Hay Units: 1056- 1260) minimum basic salary get a monthly payout of P94, 490.08 and minimum Gross Fixed Annual remuneration is P118, 112.58. Directors at Band 3 ( Hay Units: 735- 1055) get between P72 009.33 as minimum basic salary and P79 210.25 as maximum basic salary per month. Managers ( senior Professionals and Managers) at Band 4 ( Hay Units: 614- 734) get P67 067.16.

Leading to its formation, NARDI executives embarked on a costly globetrotting benchmarking expedition that took them to Australia, Malaysia, South Africa and the Netherlands. In fact, NARDI is a copy and paste of the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute ( MARDI).

The new institution was expected to ensure sustainable agricultural production through bridging the gap between research and industry and foster innovation, value addition and commercialisation of research output to drive economic diversification and improve national food security.

Calls to bring the three institutions under one roof were made by the leadership of three ministers with less progress. In August last year, Minister of Agriculture Dr. Edwin Dikoloti said the merger would be completed by the end of the financial year in a bid to reduce parastatals with overlapping mandates. According to Dr. Dikoloti, NARDI was set up to consolidate the existing high value public investment in the infrastructure, equipment and facilities at NFTRC, DAR and BNVL to engage in high quality, innovation intensive and needs driven research and development.

Before Dr. Dikoloti took over the chorus, another former minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security Patrick Ralotsia had announced during his 2018/ 19 financial year committee of supply speech that the merger would take place during that financial year.

All that has not happened and this, according to sources, is because NARDI leadership, which is made up of mainly former employees of NFRTC has over the years failed to bring the three institutions under one roof with the growing suspicion that they are reluctant to see their former colleagues at NFRTC benefiting from separation packages when the organisation is dissolved.

NARDI was formed prior to the de- establishment of the three entities. At the time NFTRC being a company limited by guarantee dictated that in accordance with the law, the process of its closure would be different than those of the other two entities and demanded packages.

According to documents aseen by this publication, NARDI timelines indicated that the merger was to be completed by August 2019.

According to a petition filed with former Assistant Minister of Agriculture Fidelis Molao by Trainers and Allied Workers Union, the union wanted the recruitment process of senior personnel by NARDI to be suspended as there were still some outstanding matters at NFTRC but the plea fell on deaf ears.

In July 2020 Dr. Martin Kebakile, who was the acting CEO at NFRTC at the time, announced to staff members that he had been appointed Executive Director at NARDI together with other Directors.

In an email sent to all staff, dated 06 July 2020, Dr. Kebakile announced that the NARDI EXCO has been appointed and they officially started their assignment on 1st July 2020. “They are Isaac Ramabu Director Corporate Services; Director Animal Production and Health Dr. Kethusegile Raphaka; Director Field Crops and Horticulture Dr. Odireleng Molosiwa; Director Food Science and Technology Dr. Minah Mosele; Director Technical Support and Customer Services Dr. Pharoah Mosupi; Senior Economist Gotsileene Mangole; Information Technology Manager Rod Nkepu; Manager Human Resources Tebogo Leu; Compliance and Quality Assurance Coordinator Tatlhego Kooneeng and Records Management Coordinator Keneilwe Bungile,” revealed Dr. Kebakile in an email communication seen by Botswana Guardian.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry Jimmy Opelo could not respond to a questionnaire sent to him as he said he was chasing other deadlines. He assigned Deputy Permanent Secretary Mmadima Nyathi to deal with the matter who had not responded at press time on Wednesday.