Botswana’s President Duma Boko on Tuesday, 15 July 2025, launched the Botswana Economic Transformation Program in the capital, Gaborone, calling for bold, innovative strategies to drive national development and reinvigorate the country’s slowing economy.
The initiative, central to the government’s economic agenda, is designed to foster inclusive and sustainable development, positioning Botswana as a diversified and globally integrated economy. Boko emphasised the programme’s goal of establishing the nation as a regional hub for cross-border financial activity, leveraging its political stability, legal transparency, and international credibility.
The president outlined a strategic framework focused on attracting both local and international investors with precision and purpose, underpinned by a world-class execution model. He noted that the programme is in line with the government’s manifesto and aims to enhance macroeconomic stability while building resilience against global economic shocks. A key feature of the rollout includes a national “Call for Ideas” campaign, supported by a newly launched website, which will collect innovative, high-impact proposals and public sector reform suggestions over a four-week period to support the programme’s objectives.
Botswana’s economy, heavily reliant on diamond exports—which account for over 90% of its total exports—has shown signs of stagnation. According to the World Bank, the country experienced a modest growth rate of 3.2% in 2023, but a contraction of 3.1% is projected for 2024 due to weakening global demand and reduced diamond output. The transformation programme thus arrives at a critical juncture, as the government seeks to pivot the economy away from resource dependency towards a more resilient, diversified, and innovation-led growth trajectory.