Africa-Press – Botswana. The National Planning Commission (NPC) will start a nationwide National Development Plan 12 (NDP 12) stakeholder consultations today.
Minister for State President, Mr Moeti Mohwasa said this during the press conference on the extension of the second Transitional National Development Plan and key deliverables related to the development of NDP 12 in Gaborone yesterday. He said consultations would start in Gaborone, where he would engage with leadership on the NDP 12 preparations.
“Consultations are not only a key imperative of this administration to ensure respect for people’s rights but a necessary ingredient in the national development planning process,” he said.
Mr Mohwasa said he had directed the NPC to ensure wide stakeholder engagement as much as possible throughout the NDP 12 preparation process.
He said government was committed to engage closely with Batswana, to ensure their aspirations were taken on board in crafting NDP 12. Also, he said the extension of the second Transitional National Development Plan (TNDP) provided for extensive consultation with key stakeholders and to also take into consideration the promises of the ruling party in the planning process. Mr Mohwasa said the implementation of the NDP 12, which was expected to commence on April 2025, was delayed, as the time that was available was too short to allow for meaningful engagement with stakeholders.
He said the government took a decision to extend the second TNDP by seven months, from April to October 2025, which also allowed for the constitution of the Advisory Council of the National Development Mission, which provided oversight on the work of the National Development Commission. Mr Mohwasa said NDP 12 would take into consideration the ambitions of the ruling party, such as its ambitious objectives of stirring an economic growth of 10 per cent and creation of 500 000 jobs in five years among others. “This will only be achieved if all stakeholders work together. So NDP 12 will be a vehicle that will help to contribute ideas that will take us to our destination” he said. Mr Mohwasa said the whole planning process would be expected to end in November when Parliament approves the plan.
The NPC acting Commissioner General, Ms Keganele Malikongwa said the commission was in the process of developing NDP 12, which she said would be transformational. She said the government had high targets, which called for changing and overhauling processes to meet the high demands, adding that the NPC was also benchmarking on high performing countries on how to transform.
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