30 Oct 2025

Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis (BIDPA) on Tuesday marked its 30^th anniversary, celebrating three decades of providing research-based policy advice aimed at advancing the country’s social and economic development. 

In his keynote address, African Union Commission former deputy chairperson, Mr Erastus Mwencha, commended BIDPA for its commitment to providing evidence-based socio-economic policy advice and capacity building, noting that such dedication was key to building a prosperous Africa. 

While acknowledging BIDPA’s achievements, Mr Mwencha noted that Africa still had a long way to go, as it continued to grapple with persistent challenges such as uneven progress, capacity gaps, dependence on external financing, limited domestic resource mobilisation, and ongoing threats such as pandemics, unresponsive governance and climate change, raising the question of what lies ahead for the continent. 

“This is where Agenda 2063 comes in,” said Mr Mwencha, explaining that Agenda 2063 served as a strategic framework for the socio-economic transformation of the continent over the next fifty years.

It builds on and seeks to accelerate the implementation of past and existing continental initiatives for growth and sustainable development,” he added highlighting BIDPA as one of the key players in the journey to Agenda 2063. 

Assistant Minister for State President, Ms Maipelo Mophuting, for her part, described BIDPA’s 30 years as not only a celebration of longevity but also a milestone that reflected the organisation’s maturity. 

“It represents a maturity born out of experience, perseverance, and, of course, service,” she said, noting that the milestone comes at a providential moment when Botswana and many nations across the world face complex socio-economic challenges that demand renewed wisdom, courage, and innovation. 

She emphasised the need for home-grown policies and solutions grounded in realities of Batswana and guided by robust evidence, especially in an era defined by uncertainty, technological disruption, shifting geopolitics, and global economic volatility. 

Ms Mophuting affirmed that the government remained resolute in its conviction that Botswana could not achieve its economic transformation agenda without BIDPA’s counsel and partnership. ENDS