Answering a question in Parliament recently, Assistant Minister for State President, Defence and Security, Ms Maipelo Mophuting-Dikoloti, said the initiative aimed to align Botswana’s development trajectory with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Vision 2036, taking into account global Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards while strengthening national governance, social inclusion and environmental stewardship at all levels of society. 

Ms Mophuting-Dikoloti said a multi-sectoral committee, comprising key government entities, civil society, the private sector and development partners, was in place under coordination of the National Planning Commission (NPC). 

She added that the Ministries of Environment and Tourism, Labour and Home Affairs and Finance were leading stakeholder engagement through the three ESG streams respectively.

 She also told Parliament that the National ESG Strategy, which formed part of the framework, was anticipated to be completed in the current financial year.

 Again, she said the strategy would serve as an action plan to guide development of a comprehensive sustainability framework. Furthermore, she said government acknowledged that the absence of a nationally coordinated sustainability framework had created challenges in fully capitalising on the growing global demand for sustainable and responsible investment.

 “The absence of such a framework has meant that individual entities, particularly in the private sector, have to navigate international ESG requirements independently, often at higher cost and with limited coordination,” she said.  She further noted that international lenders often offered lower interest rates for green bonds, which had left Botswana-based entities without such a framework to rely on traditional and expensive debt. 

However, she indicated that there had been good progress toward building operational frameworks at sectoral level, which included the Botswana Stock Exchange Sustainability Disclosure Guidance and the Sustainable Financing Strategy (2023-2030).

 She further said the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) had recently committed to providing technical support for the framework, which would be key to a sustainable future.

 Member of Parliament for Okavango East, Mr Gabatsholwe Disho, had asked when government intended to establish the framework to guide environmental, social and economic governance. 

MP Disho asked if government acknowledged that its absence disadvantaged Botswana and caused missed opportunities to access green finance and sustainability-linked funding and what immediate corrective measures were being taken to avert further loss. ENDS