Africa-Press – Botswana. Born of a need to end decades of “abstract plans and promises buried in mountains of reports”, Botswana has engaged a Malaysian transformation firm with a robust reputation for strategies that work and a footprint across many of the world’s fastest growing economies.
The government has enlisted the services of a Malaysian performance management and delivery firm to lead its most ambitious economic transformation initiative since it assumed power in November last year.
The announcement about contracting Malaysia’s Performance Management and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU) Associates was made by President Duma Boko at a symposium of the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme (BETP) in Gaborone this week.
It signals a decisive shift towards results-driven governance and a break from past patterns of sluggish policy implementation. “Gone are the days of abstract plans, tantalising but hazy promises buried in mountains of reports,” said the President.
War room execution
“We need deep domain experts to come think with us. I am pleased to announce that Botswana has formally engaged PEMANDU Associates, one of the world’s most elite transformation firms.
“Their work has been endorsed by Harvard University, Princeton, Bloomberg and the World Bank. This is not consultancy but war room execution.
“PEMANDU has helped turn Malaysia into a high-income nation. It has helped Dubai deliver world-class government reforms and also helped Tanzania and Rwanda unlock billions in investment.
“They are already on the ground and will work with our government, the private sector and citizens to implement Botswana’s boldest economic transformation ever attempted.”
Numerous Asian and African nations
The company is credited with boosting infrastructural development and tourism, as well as providing platforms for commodity exports of numerous Asian and African nations. Their 13-year association with the Tanzanian government has yielded a 5 percent growth of the country’s economy.
The firm has played a key part in transforming the fortunes of the island nation of Saint Lucia in terms of attracting foreign investment. They helped implement a 30 percent reduction in time taken to process documents for foreign investors.
The firm is said to have a method of executing strategies guided by economic and social labs that act as research centres studying the correlation between economic and social factors in societies. They are expected to build such labs in Botswana to ensure research-driven innovation hubs.
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