The UDC SONA explainer
Staff Writer | Friday November 14, 2025 11:29
This SONA is a masterpiece. In many ways, it’s better than the first one in November 2024.
Why was it a masterpiece and better, one might ask? It was a masterpiece because it was comprehensive. It was concrete, showing facts on what has been achieved, failed to be achieved, challenges, and what solutions have been formulated to address challenges going forward. And this SONA is relevant to the country and Batswana’s needs. And finally, it was balanced with facts, targets, and timelines, which we all want to hear, see and ultimately feel. It was not empty rhetoric and sloganeering that the green and red Opposition - the (Legapu coalition) of the BCP and BDP are best at.
Relevance
This SONA is not about Boko and his promises. Rather, it is about progress on implementing the social contract that the UDC as a party made with Batswana when it sought their votes in October 2024. It is about the implementation of a five-year-long contract that the UDC agreed with Batswana when they rejected the BCP, BDP and BPF manifestoes and chose the UDC one.
President Boko is only a messenger of the UDC contract and therefore, the ‘Legapu coalition’ should not seek to kill the messenger, but if they are capable, let them raise alternative policies and solutions to the challenges that this nation faces currently.
Instead, what we see is Mpho Balopi (BDP president) parading an aged BDP, making allegations on social media against UDC or Dumelang Saleshando, using a small group of BCP youth league claiming to have carried out consultations that show that Batswana are frustrated and globally amongst the unhappiest people. These abusive acts of cheap politics will not convince any serious seekers of real solutions that Batswana deserve and desire.
The manifesto, NDP 12 and BETP
The SONA is a sweet summary of the UDC manifesto turned into a plan - NDP 12 backed by an implementation and monitoring tool called BETP. The UDC manifesto has six pillars, being the Deep Economy; Democracy, Governance and Security/Peace; Land, Housing and Environment; Education, Human Resource Development and Research and Innovation; Health, Gender, Sport, Recreation and Social Protection; and International and Trade.
As the President indicated, these pillars are captured in the nine priority sectors captured in NDP 12 and BETP as follows:
The deep economyThe key aspects of this pillar are growth, diversification, job creation, inclusivity, and the reduction of poverty and inequality. Question: What had been done in this pillar?
l Six priority areas of mining, agriculture, infrastructure, tourism, manufacturing and financial services have been identified and captured for implementation in NDP 12 and BETP - expected outcome is a higher growth and diversified economy from 186 projects. On job creation, some jobs have already been created in year one, but the 186 projects are planned to create 512,000 jobs at the end of 2029.
l To reduce poverty and inequality, as the SONA shows, old age pension has been increased from P830 to P1,400; electricity and water have been reduced by 30% for poorer families/households. Also, TVET student allowances have been increased from P300 to P1,900. The minimum wages of Public Officers have been raised from P2,500 to a minimum of P4,000. Some private sector employees are now earning P4,000 from P1,500. The government is currently attending to the wages of private security and other highly underpaid employees across the economy.
Democracy, governance, and securitySONA clearly shows reforms in the Judiciary, DPP, DCEC, which are seeking to become independent entities. A review of BCL and forensic audit have been instituted. The constitutional review process has been instituted through the Bill on the Constitutional Court. The fight against GBV has been escalated, and a new law is in the offing, which apparently BCP wants to repeat.
Land reforms, water and housing The Connor Housing scheme has started, and 31,000 houses have been initiated. Water supply projects, renewable energy and green economy projects have been escalated with several projects among the 186 BETP projects, and FDI has started pouring into the country. SONA introduces a Nationwide clean-up campaign every second Saturday of the month.
Education, HRD,
research and innovationChild welfare has been improved and focused, and the relevant legislation has been aligned and enhanced. Apparently, BCP wants to repeat this. Education has been extended to including out of school and street children, children with disabilities, drug victims, and MA and PhD to be sponsored to promote HRD and Research, and Innovation. Universities are now linked with the promotion of Policy research and projects. The STEAM curriculum and digitalisation will improve all items promised under these pillars.
Health, Social ProtectionThe highlight here is actions taken to deal with shortages of medicine and the poor state of health facilities. The State of Health Emergency has brought more focus and attention to health matters. Donations and support have been received. The state of medicine has improved.
The other highlight is the NHI, which has started through the establishment of a Task Force.
This is a good initiative, which will ensure quality health for all Batswana. According to the SONA, the health sector is enjoying a grant of P750,000 and lots of support from the UN System and Bilateral Development Partners. The SONA promises more medicines and equipment as for instance, given by the Indian government yesterday.
On Social Protection, Ipelegeng, Tantabana, Child grants, and focus on people with disabilities programmes are fully developed under NDP 12. More training and empowerment forms of social protection are planned and have already started.
Sport, Art and Recreation, especially youth-targeted, are envisaged, including the plan to fund up to P200m through the use of Alcohol Levy. This is going to unleash a huge creative potential, especially among youth.
International Cooperation and Trade
Under the UDC government, Botswana has become both popular and prosperous, with excellent relations with individual governments, multilateral organisations, and the home and international corporate sector. Business Botswana, for instance, has praised SONA and said they are ready to cooperate with external investors in what they call PPIP -public, private international partnership. Botswana, with its human rights-based development, is becoming very popular globally. The commitment to inclusivity event to Garekwe’s funeral, Statue and multilingual is a practical start an inclusive society.
l Critics of the Coalition - The Legapu opposition, whilst UDC welcomes opposition and general criticism, is both superficial, without facts or researched policy alternatives. The BCP and BDP coalition spells doom for Botswana. They cooperated in the 12th Parliament and shared councils in Maun and other places. This day, Dumelang, who’s BCP aborted the change of government in 1999, 2014 and betrayed UDC in 2019 are defenders of the BDP. The BCP says the BDP has done well to leave government coffers empty, to keep bagolo at P830, TVET students at P300 and minimum wage at P1, 500 and corruption and unemployment so high. BCP says it was BDP, which increased agricultural output better this year. They did what they could not do for 58 year according to BCP. What a sham and hollow opposition.