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How government of Botswana plans to create over 500 000 jobs
A look back to the NDP 12
Boago Sephutho
November 18, 2025
Good morning, let’s get into it!
Botswana’s economic and social transformation is anchored on a clear, carefully engineered national framework. Point number three of the Botswana Impact Report 2025, titled “Our Guiding Framework”, outlines how Vision 2036 is being operationalised through the Twelfth National Development Plan (NDP12) and the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme (BETP). Together, these three pillars form the country’s masterplan for transitioning from middle-income to high-income status by 2036.
Vision 2036 as the National North Star
Vision 2036 is Botswana’s long-term blueprint for becoming a high-income, diversified, export-driven, and technologically advanced nation. It is built around four national pillars:
Sustainable Economic Development
Human and Social Development
Sustainable Environment
Governance, Peace and Security
However, Vision 2036 is an aspirational document. To turn it into measurable progress, the Government developed two critical implementation tools:
NDP12 (National Development Plan 2025/26–2029/30)
BETP (Botswana Economic Transformation Programme)
These convert Vision 2036 into actionable policy, financing strategies, and measurable deliverables.
NDP12: The Operational Spine of Transformation
NDP12 is the first comprehensive development plan of the current administration and is designed as the backbone of national transformation between 2025 and 2030. It translates Vision 2036 into clear targets, time-bound reforms, and sector-specific interventions.
NDP12 introduces:
A new planning cycle aligned with the electoral cycle
Executive Delivery Dashboards for real-time monitoring
A shift towards evidence-based budgeting (Zero-Based Budgeting)
District-by-district economic development frameworks
Stronger alignment between ministries and the national transformation strategy
In short, NDP12 provides the structure, discipline, and accountability mechanisms needed to implement long-term ambitions.
BETP: Botswana’s Big Fast Results Engine
The Botswana Economic Transformation Programme (BETP) acts as the delivery engine of NDP12. It identifies high-impact projects across the economy and ensures they move quickly from concept to implementation.
Key performance statistics include:
186 high-impact projects identified
P514 billion total investment pipeline
512,000 sustainable jobs targeted
District-level implementation for localised growth
Use of Big Fast Results (BFR) Labs to prioritise and unblock projects
BETP is designed to shift Botswana away from diamond dependency and toward a diversified, skills-driven, and innovation-led economy. It ensures that transformation is not abstract but tied to concrete projects with clear economic impact.
The 2030 National Targets
The guiding framework commits Botswana to ambitious targets by the year 2030:
1. Investment Mobilisation
Botswana aims to attract USD 529 billion in cumulative investments. This includes domestic and foreign capital mobilised through:
Sovereign Wealth Fund
Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)
Special Economic Zones (SEZs)
Capital markets
Global investor partnerships
2. GDP Growth
The country is targeting 6 percent annual GDP growth, with a stretch goal of 10 percent as structural reforms mature and major investments begin to produce returns.
3. Job Creation
Over 500,000 sustainable decent jobs are expected to be created by 2030, with a long-term target of 580,000 jobs by 2036. These jobs are concentrated in priority sectors expected to drive Botswana’s next wave of growth.
Priority Sectors Driving Transformation
Botswana’s transformation strategy deliberately selects sectors that combine competitive advantage with job creation potential. These include:
Economic Sectors
Agriculture and agri-business
Manufacturing
Financial services and digitalisation
Energy and mining
Infrastructure
Tourism and creative industries
Education and skills development
Healthcare and biotechnology
Social protection systems
These sectors represent Botswana’s strategic bet on industries that can diversify exports, stimulate private investment, and build a knowledge-driven economy.
The True North: High-Income Status by 2036
Everything within Botswana’s guiding framework is oriented toward a single national objective known as the True North:
USD 15,730 GNI per capita
USD 529 billion cumulative investment
580,000 jobs
Achieving this would place Botswana among the world’s high-income economies, fundamentally transforming the structure of the economy and the distribution of opportunity across society.
Why This Guiding Framework Matters
Point number three of the Botswana Impact Report is more than a policy outline. It is the architecture of a national transformation project.
The framework matters because:
It moves Botswana from aspirational planning to disciplined execution.
It aligns long-term vision with short-term, measurable milestones.
It introduces accountability through executive dashboards and structured planning.
It mobilises both public and private investment at unprecedented scale.
It ensures that growth is inclusive, job-intensive, and regionally distributed.
This guiding framework signals a shift from incremental development to systemic transformation.Botswana’s economic and social transformation is anchored on a clear, carefully engineered national framework. Point number three of the Botswana Impact Report 2025, titled “Our Guiding Framework”, outlines how Vision 2036 is being operationalised through the Twelfth National Development Plan (NDP12) and the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme (BETP). Together, these three pillars form the country’s masterplan for transitioning from middle-income to high-income status by 2036.
This article explores that framework in depth, breaking down the strategic structure, expected outcomes, priority sectors, and the implementation approach guiding Botswana’s transformation over the next decade.
Vision 2036 as the National North Star
Vision 2036 is Botswana’s long-term blueprint for becoming a high-income, diversified, export-driven, and technologically advanced nation. It is built around four national pillars:
Sustainable Economic Development
Human and Social Development
Sustainable Environment
Governance, Peace and Security
However, Vision 2036 is an aspirational document. To turn it into measurable progress, the Government developed two critical implementation tools:
NDP12 (National Development Plan 2025/26–2029/30)
BETP (Botswana Economic Transformation Programme)
These convert Vision 2036 into actionable policy, financing strategies, and measurable deliverables.
NDP12: The Operational Spine of Transformation
NDP12 is the first comprehensive development plan of the current administration and is designed as the backbone of national transformation between 2025 and 2030. It translates Vision 2036 into clear targets, time-bound reforms, and sector-specific interventions.
NDP12 introduces:
A new planning cycle aligned with the electoral cycle
Executive Delivery Dashboards for real-time monitoring
A shift towards evidence-based budgeting (Zero-Based Budgeting)
District-by-district economic development frameworks
Stronger alignment between ministries and the national transformation strategy
In short, NDP12 provides the structure, discipline, and accountability mechanisms needed to implement long-term ambitions.
BETP: Botswana’s Big Fast Results Engine
The Botswana Economic Transformation Programme (BETP) acts as the delivery engine of NDP12. It identifies high-impact projects across the economy and ensures they move quickly from concept to implementation.
Key performance statistics include:
186 high-impact projects identified
P514 billion total investment pipeline
512,000 sustainable jobs targeted
District-level implementation for localised growth
Use of Big Fast Results (BFR) Labs to prioritise and unblock projects
BETP is designed to shift Botswana away from diamond dependency and toward a diversified, skills-driven, and innovation-led economy. It ensures that transformation is not abstract but tied to concrete projects with clear economic impact.
The 2030 National Targets
The guiding framework commits Botswana to ambitious targets by the year 2030:
1. Investment Mobilisation
Botswana aims to attract USD 529 billion in cumulative investments. This includes domestic and foreign capital mobilised through:
Sovereign Wealth Fund
Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)
Special Economic Zones (SEZs)
Capital markets
Global investor partnerships
2. GDP Growth
The country is targeting 6 percent annual GDP growth, with a stretch goal of 10 percent as structural reforms mature and major investments begin to produce returns.
3. Job Creation
Over 500,000 sustainable decent jobs are expected to be created by 2030, with a long-term target of 580,000 jobs by 2036. These jobs are concentrated in priority sectors expected to drive Botswana’s next wave of growth.
Priority Sectors Driving Transformation
Botswana’s transformation strategy deliberately selects sectors that combine competitive advantage with job creation potential. These include:
Economic Sectors
Agriculture and agri-business
Manufacturing
Financial services and digitalisation
Energy and mining
Infrastructure
Tourism and creative industries
Education and skills development
Healthcare and biotechnology
Social protection systems
These sectors represent Botswana’s strategic bet on industries that can diversify exports, stimulate private investment, and build a knowledge-driven economy.
The True North: High-Income Status by 2036
Everything within Botswana’s guiding framework is oriented toward a single national objective known as the True North:
USD 15,730 GNI per capita
USD 529 billion cumulative investment
580,000 jobs
Achieving this would place Botswana among the world’s high-income economies, fundamentally transforming the structure of the economy and the distribution of opportunity across society.
Why This Guiding Framework Matters
Point number three of the Botswana Impact Report is more than a policy outline. It is the architecture of a national transformation project.
The framework matters because:
It moves Botswana from aspirational planning to disciplined execution.
It aligns long-term vision with short-term, measurable milestones.
It introduces accountability through executive dashboards and structured planning.
It mobilizes both public and private investment at unprecedented scale.
It ensures that growth is inclusive, job-intensive, and regionally distributed.
This guiding framework signals a shift from incremental development to systemic transformation.
Source
Botswana economic growth pdf
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