The Minister for State President, Moeti Mohwasa, says the government has extended the Transitional National Development Plan (TNDP) to allow the new administration to contribute to the upcoming National Development Plan (NDP) 12.
The TNDP, which began in April 2023, was initially set to end in March this year.
“The main reason for the TNDP was to allow for the implementation of reforms in the national development process, among which was to allow the incoming administration to provide their input into the plan,” Mohwasa explained.
He said preparations for NDP 12, originally scheduled to begin in April 2025, were delayed because the timeframe was too short to allow for meaningful stakeholder engagement. As a result, government decided to extend the TNDP by seven months, from April to October 2025.
During this period, the National Planning Commission (NPC) will embark on consultations with key stakeholders. Mohwasa said this approach will allow the government to incorporate the new ruling party’s electoral promises into the planning process.
“Consultation is not only a key imperative of this administration to ensure respect for people’s rights, but a necessary ingredient in the national planning process,” he said. “It is in this spirit that the government has committed to engage closely with Batswana to ensure that their aspirations are taken on board.”
Beginning this week, the NPC will conduct nationwide consultations, engaging district leadership on the development of NDP 12. The goal, according to Mohwasa, is to give communities an opportunity to present their aspirations to guide the plan.
He said the intention is to produce an inclusive development plan, with the ruling party manifesto as the reference point. It is expected that the plan will be presented to Parliament in October, debated and adopted, before coming into effect in November.