NDB embeds sustainability into its operations
staff writer | Wednesday September 9, 2026 06:00
The award means the agriculture-focused financier has now commenced its Sustainability Certification journey under the Sustainability Standards and Certification Initiative (SSCI). Officials said the certification process is aligned with the Bank’s 2025–2030 strategy, Motlhala wa Pula, Modi wa Isago. The Strategy seeks to transform NDB’s operations and enhance its ability to respond to Botswana’s evolving economic needs while supporting sustainable economic growth. Equally for NDB, sustainability goes beyond environmental considerations as the Bank views it as ensuring that its financing contributes to economic diversification.
On the other hand, it wants to see stronger businesses and value chains, increased value addition, job creation and the development of new sources of long-term economic growth. NDB’s Head of Future Growth and Innovation, Amutjilani Makone, explained that the Bank’s transformation was focused on positioning it to finance opportunities that would shape the country’s future.
“Embedding sustainability into how we operate, make decisions and deploy capital is central to that ambition,” she said when accepting the Certificate of Acceptance on behalf of NDB. “The SSCI process provides a structured framework to strengthen this approach and look beyond the immediate transaction to the longer-term economic, social and environmental value that NDB creates.” NDB received its Certificate of Acceptance into the SSCI Sustainability Certification Programme on August 27, 2026, in Karlsruhe, Germany. The initiative, facilitated by the European Organisation for Sustainable Development (EOSD), is intended to strengthen the integration of sustainability into NDB’s governance, business development, financing decisions and capital allocation.
For his part, Chairman of the International Council of Sustainability Standards for Value-Driven Financial Institutions and Chief Executive Officer of EOSD, Arshad Rab, congratulated NDB on its commitment to the certification process. “For a development bank, sustainability cannot be separated from its fundamental purpose. “NDB’s decision to embark upon Sustainability Certification represents a commitment to strengthen how the Bank uses its mandate, financing and institutional capabilities to contribute to Botswana’s economic transformation,” he said. Rab added that the significance of the certification journey would ultimately be measured not by the certificate itself, but by the institution NDB becomes and the value its financing enables across Botswana’s economy.
NDB’s acceptance into the certification process therefore represents a broader commitment to institutional transformation, with the ultimate measure of success being the development impact generated through its financing.