Botswana Launches Economic Transformation Labs to Accelerate Growth and Opportunity

Botswana Launches Economic Transformation Labs to Accelerate Growth and OOpportunity. Botswana has officially launched the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme (BETP) Labs in Gaborone, an initiative designed to move the country from planning to action in its development agenda.

Speaking at the launch, President Duma Boko described the Labs as the beginning of a mindset shift and a new approach to execution, aimed at delivering tangible results. He said the BETP aligns with the country’s “True North” vision, which seeks a high-income, digitally enabled, export-driven, and economically diversified Botswana where every citizen has equal opportunity.

The Labs will focus on nine priority sectors identified by Cabinet — six economic and three social. The economic sectors include agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure, financial services and digitalisation, tourism, and energy, water and mining. The social sectors are education, healthcare, and social protection.

Over the next four weeks, the Labs will operate as practical “engine rooms” where experts refine project ideas into bankable plans, set clear performance targets, and address obstacles such as regulatory delays, skills shortages, and infrastructure gaps.

“This is not theoretical work. It is hands-on, delivery-focused,” President Boko emphasised, noting that some projects may be merged or discontinued to ensure focus on high-impact outcomes.

The model draws inspiration from Malaysia’s “Big Fast Results” approach and Rwanda’s transformation strategies, but will be adapted to Botswana’s unique context. Collaboration between government ministries, the private sector, civil society, and youth innovators will be key to the programme’s success.

Addressing young people, the President said the government is acting with urgency to turn potential into tangible opportunities. “The time is now. The work begins. The transformation is ours to deliver,” he concluded.