- NDP 12 planned to commence in April 2025
With the establishment of the National Planning Commission (NPC), optimism fills the air as the deferred National Development Plan (NDP12) is set to spring into action come April next year. Anchored on the National Transformation Strategy, this ambitious plan aims to propel the country towards achieving high-income status by 2030.
The NPC seeks to provide leadership in national strategy development, spearheading coordinated sectoral and national planning, overseeing implementation coordination, and conducting thorough performance monitoring and evaluation.
Speaking at a press conference in Gaborone on Tuesday, Assistant Commissioner General David Sefawe, responsible for Policy and Strategy, emphasised the urgency of transforming the economy, stressing that the need has never been more pressing.
โOur economy continues to face a myriad of challenges such as high inequality and unemployment levels. High youth unemployment is a major concern and economic reforms are needed to address such,โ he said.
Sefawe outlined that the National Transformation Strategy (NTS) is very critical for anchoring economic transformation as Botswana embarks on attaining high-income status as espoused in National Vision 2036.
Assistant Commissioner General National Planning and Development Koontse Mokgwathi pointed out that the National Development Plan 12 (NDP12) would commence in April 2025 upon the end of the TNDP.
NDP 12 was deferred and replaced with the Transitional National Development Plan with a budget worth P64 billion agreed by Parliament and its funds spent on the outlined development projects nationwide.
Mokgwathi said during the 2023/24 financial year P21 billion was disbursed and on the second year of implementation being 2024/25 financial year P29.77 will be disbursed signaling a P8.76 billion increase.
NPC was established by the Act of Parliament to assume the functions of the erstwhile National Strategy Office (NSO), the Government Implementation Coordination Office, the erstwhile Vision 2036 Coordinating Agency and the planning functions of the Ministry of Finance.
The key functions of the NPC as coordinating the development and implementation of long-term visions and strategies for Botswana, developing the countryโs National Development Plans (NDPs), coordinating development planning and implementation, as well as coordinating policy formulation and providing advocacy and communication for the national vision and its strategic interventions.
