Boko scraps NDP
Lewanika Timothy | Wednesday July 2, 2025 06:00
The rationale behind the move, according to government, is to abandon broad-based planning in favour of target-driven national development.
President Duma Boko made the announcement at a high-level meeting of state-owned enterprise heads held this week in Gaborone. He revealed that government has instituted an “expert-led process” to design the NTP, which is intended to chart a clear, results-oriented path for Botswana’s economic future.
“NDP was aspiration and vision-based whilst NTP will be implementation-based, with specific ministries and government departments detailed with their roles in the transformation journey,” Boko said. “The NDP was a general roadmap, whilst the NTP will stipulate specific targets that are measurable, with strong KPIs,” he added.
Over the years, government has faced mounting criticism for setting vague, immeasurable goals under the NDPs, with analysts accusing it of avoiding accountability. The introduction of the NTP is being framed as a shift towards transparency and performance-based governance, providing the public with a clearer yardstick to evaluate government delivery.
The move comes against the backdrop of repeated failures in implementing past NDPs, where mega transformation projects were undermined by weak execution and poor accountability frameworks. Several development projects under previous Transitional and National Development Plans (TNDP) stalled or collapsed entirely due to bureaucratic inefficiencies, lack of coordination amongst ministries, and persistent delays in procurement and implementation.
Key infrastructure projects faced prolonged timelines, whilst many social development programmes underperformed due to inadequate funding, limited human resource capacity, and shifting political priorities midstream.
Since Independence in 1966, Botswana has implemented a series of NDPs, starting with the Transitional Plan for Social and Economic Development in 1965. These plans have historically guided national progress by outlining strategies, programmes, and projects to be pursued over defined plan periods.
Each NDP included detailed revenue projections, expenditure estimates, and human resource development forecasts, providing a comprehensive view of national development ambitions and their expected trajectory.
The now-defunct NDP12 was scheduled to commence in April 2025 but was deferred by the new administration to October, citing the need to align it with its transformative agenda. Government now says a 12-week intensive process to formulate the NTP has officially begun. With this bold move, the Boko administration signals a clean break from the past and sets the stage for a new era of structured, measurable governance.