According to the Commission, the upcoming National Development Plan (NDP) will be a “vehicle that takes the country to greater heights.” Speaking at a stakeholder engagement last week, the Commissioner General, Batho Molomo, revealed that they are aware of worries over the practicality of an HIC dream at a time when the economy is failing to even grow by two percent. He added that the Commission is working on a sectoral target approach to bring the dream to life. “Economic commentary that doubts our ability to achieve the high income status dream is rightly founded on facts that we are all aware of, but as the Commission, we are not giving up. “The National Transformation Strategy will allow the identified sectors to propel us to a fast rate of transformation and growth,” he said.
To reach the status of a high-income economy, Botswana will have to significantly increase its wealth levels, a near doubling in Gross National Income per capita (GNIpc), to reach the World Bank threshold of $13, 205. In 2021, Botswana’s actual GNIpc was $6, 610 and current GDP figures are generally trending downwards quarter-on-quarter as the economy settles deeper into economic stagnation. An International Monetary Fund (IMF) assessment of the local economy, carried out last year, ruled out chances of Botswana’s GDP strengthening in the medium-term.
