13 Oct 2025

In response to public concerns over poor implementation, government has unveiled the draft of the National Development Plan 12 (NDP 12), which places a renewed focus on robust implementation, monitoring, and evaluation frameworks.

The plan aims to ensure that all ministries, programmes, and funds are effectively monitored and held accountable.

The draft plan was presented to Parliament on October 13 by the Minister for State President, Mr Moeti Mohwasa.

He highlighted a shift in the public service culture from a process-based approach to a results-oriented one, aligning with government’s core objectives of discipline, urgency, and delivering visible impact.

Addressing the challenges hindering service delivery, Mr Mohwasa noted that implementation had been the weakest link, impeding timely and quality services to the public. He emphasised that NDP 12 would specifically target shortcomings and failures of the previous regime.

The Minister revealed that efforts were already underway to overhaul existing systems, frameworks, and processes that had previously obstructed public service performance, which is currently estimated at 53 per cent efficiency. The plan’s proposed budget for 2025/26 to 2029/30 is P388 billion.

Recognising that poor performance monitoring had often been attributed to a lack of timely and accurate data, Mr Mohwasa emphasised that the implementation chapter of NDP 12 would focus on enhancing national service delivery through innovative mechanisms and the institutionalisation of monitoring and evaluation practices.

Mr Mohwasa said availability of data would support informed decision making, therefore it was important to address existing gaps in the available data. He also added that it was equally important for joint forces and active participation in execution of the plan.

In addition, he noted that there would be capacity building on monitoring and evaluation systems as well as data monitoring tools across the value chain in order to improve performance monitoring and evaluation.

He said the plan would address data gaps in the national statistical system and the key institutions strengthened.

Mr Mohwasa said economic sectors in driving the development agenda and the economy were mining and energy, agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, sports and creative arts, infrastructure and financial services and digitalisation, as well as healthcare, education and social protection as social sectors.

He noted that environment, governance, peace and security were the cross cutting enablers driving the developments.

“These priorities reflect a deliberate choice to drive growth that is inclusive, fair and meaningful,” he said. While appreciating slow progress of economic diversification, the Minister noted that the NDP 12 was intended to diversify the economy from over reliance on diamonds which had resulted in vulnerability to global shocks.

He noted that through a private sector-led economy, NDP 12 would focus on expanding export-oriented value added production, growing transformative sectors such as energy, manufacturing and digital services, removing unnecessary regulatory barriers and supporting youth entrepreneurship and the informal sector.

Mr Mohwasa further underscored the need to urgently address unemployment, which he said currently stood at 27.6 per cent overall and 38.2 per cent among the youth.

Subsequently, he said reforming education and skills training to meet market needs, promoting youth entrepreneurship and international exposure and creating jobs in key sectors such as agriculture, tourism and ICT were some of the priority areas which the plan focused on.

Additional, he noted that in response to fiscal pressures, with deficit between 2.6 - 2.9 per cent of the GDP, the government was intending to rebuild the Government Investment Account, improve spending inefficiency, grow non-mining revenues and attract more strategic investments and partnerships. ENDS

Minister for State President, Mr Moeti Mohwasa presenting the Draft National Development Plan12 (NDP12) during the start of the Special Meeting of Parliament yesterday. He highlighted unemployment, currently at 27.6 per cent overall and 38.2 per cent among the youth, as a key challenge at the centre of Botswana’s growth strategy. Mr Mohwasa said the plan called for private sector-led growth, skills reform and youth entrepreneurship, alongside major pledges such as P2, 500 student allowances, increasing old age pensions to P1, 800, and building 100,000 houses. He noted that NDP12 aimed to diversify the economy and turn government promises into real opportunities for Batswana. Photo: Thompson Keobaletswe