29 Oct 2025

Vice President Ndaba Gaolathe says the Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis (BIDPA)’s 30th anniversary comes at a time when think tanks around the world are facing unprecedented pressures.

Speaking at the BIDPA 30th Anniversary Gala Dinner in Gaborone on Tuesday, Mr Gaolathe said the environment for policy research institutions had become more complex, with funding uncertainties, rising demand for rapid policy advice, and a global landscape being reshaped by climate change, digital transformation, inequality, and shifting geopolitics.

Mr Gaolathe said the global trends were not abstract but had  direct implications for Botswana.

He further noted that government was in the process of rationalising state-owned enterprises to promote efficiency, accountability, and financial sustainability.

“BIDPA is not immune to these realities. Yet, these challenges also present an opportunity to reimagine BIDPA’s role, strengthen its impact, and ensure its continued relevance in shaping Botswana’s development agenda,” he said.

Mr Gaolathe said BIDPA also shared a responsibility with think tanks and governments to remain agile, independent, and forward-looking, emphasising the need to deepen partnerships with academia, the private sector, and international research networks.

He also encouraged innovation through new technologies, big data and cross-disciplinary research and maintaining financial sustainability without compromising independence.

He stressed that the relationship between think tanks and governments must always be one of constructive tension, where independence meets collaboration and critique meets partnership.

“Governments, by their nature, must make decisions. Think tanks, by their mandate, must question, analyse and propose alternatives. When these two forces engage constructively, nations advance,” he said.

Mr Gaolathe challenged BIDPA to claim its rightful place among global leaders such as the African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET) in Ghana and South Africa’s Trade and Industrial

Policy Strategies (TIPS), influencing continental and global discourse on climate resilience, digital economy, and inclusive governance.

He said the think tank of the future must be agile, data-driven, financially resilient, and strategically positioned to anticipate and interpret global trends.

BIDPA, he added, should leverage data science, artificial intelligence, and digital tools to enhance its analytical capabilities and impact. ENDS