Botswana has approved on Thursday, November 6, its 12th National Development Plan (NDP 12), a five-year framework aimed at reducing the country’s reliance on diamonds and promoting a more diversified, inclusive economy.
Valued at 388 billion pula (approximately 28.8 billion US dollars), the plan will guide national development from April 2025 to March 2030 under the theme “Building a Diversified and Inclusive Deep Economy for Sustainable Jobs’’. It seeks to address unemployment, fiscal challenges, and institutional inefficiencies while laying the foundation for sustainable growth.
At the heart of the initiative is the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme, which prioritises nine key sectors, including mining and energy, manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, creative industries, infrastructure, and financial services. Assistant Minister for State President Maipelo Mophuting noted that both global and domestic economic conditions remain uncertain, stressing that limited fiscal and human resources make innovation and collaboration across all sectors essential to achieving the plan’s goals.