No more free help from burdened gov’t
Spira Tlhankane | Monday October 6, 2025 06:00
Under the National Development Plan 12 draft, which will be considered by Parliament at a special meeting from October 13 to November 7, the government is worried that Batswana’s heavy dependence on such programmes raises concerns about their long-term financial sustainability.
Reportedly, out of a national population of 2.3 million, a total of 1.6 million individuals benefit from various social protection programmes across ministries.
The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) government, which inherited depleted coffers from the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) a year ago, is said to be concerned by high dependency ratios. The cash-strapped government is worried that rising demand from unemployed youth, vulnerable groups, and the elderly may strain systems.
One of the NDP12 strategies to reduce over-dependence on government is the introduction of contributory social protection schemes, an insider told this publication. Furthermore, according to the insider, the project will shift Batswana from social assistance to contributory social security, easing fiscal pressure and ensuring long-term sustainability. “The aim is to mandate parastatals, the private sector and non-governmental organisations to contribute to a pension fund and encourage the informal sector to contribute to a voluntary pension fund,” the source said.
Furthermore, it is said that the government plans to establish a contributory social insurance to protect employees and their families against income insecurity caused by contingencies such as unemployment, employment injury, maternity, sickness, disability, old age and death. With the high youth unemployment in the country, it is said that the government believes that with the right empowerment, Botswana’s youthful population could transition from dependence to productivity. The insider also pointed out that the government is considering taking this route because of threats such as competing budget priorities like health, education, and infrastructure, which may limit sustainable funding.
As the government seeks to have fewer people who rely on free support, the President Duma Boko administration envisages tapping into Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). According to the source, who has seen the NDP12 draft, the government believes that PPPs are opportunities for co-financing social protection through insurance, pension funds, and private sector corporate social responsibility, and this will reduce the dependence on government.
“Government wants digital transformation where they will push for use of social protection management information systems, biometric systems, and payments to improve efficiency, reduce leakages, and expand reach,” the source told this publication.
Moreover, the government reportedly plans to establish a unified social protection policy framework where they align existing policies like the National Social Protection Framework, Disability Policy, Gender Policy, Child Protection Policy, Rural Development Policy, revised Gender and Development Policy, Child Protection Policy, Rural Development Policy, revised National Youth policy, Social Security Policy, Housing policy under one umbrella to eliminate overlaps, duplication, and policy conflicts.
“One of the strategies for NDP 12 is to standardise eligibility and targeting by developing common criteria for identifying beneficiaries across programmes to reduce fragmentation and double-dipping,” the source further noted.
Botswana is reportedly among a few countries of the world that have the most comprehensive social protection systems, providing cover to approximately 60% of the population (cities 40%; urban villages – 58.9%; Rural Areas– 68.3%). The government, however, despite this broad coverage, is concerned that the social protection system still faces significant challenges related to administration, coordination, targeting, coverage, adequacy, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability.
“About thirty-eight social protection programmes are said to be fragmented across eight ministries, leading to weak coordination, duplication, and overlaps in design and implementation. The government acknowledges that the country’s social protection system continues to play a significant role in reducing vulnerabilities across its population. However, Botswana faces challenges in ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of its programmes,” the source noted.