Aug 13, 2020

Botswana National Social Protection Recovery Plan

This plan is also providing opportunities for the private sector as we move some of the existing programme into economic opportunities and away from labeled as social protection. The Social Protection Recovery plan is in two parts, with Part 1 covering the analysis of the impact of Covid-19 and the corresponding recommendation on how to build back better, while Part 2 is the action plan derived from the recommendations. If you want a quick read then Part 2 will give an overview. Findings and the Vision for Building Back Better The findings show that Botswana has been relying on a set of social assistance programmes that were established in the last century, when it was one of the poorest countries in Africa, and which are increasingly unsuited to its current status as one of the wealthiest, and in particular to its 21st-century aspiration to become a high-income country by 2036. As COVID-19 has shown so clearly, Botswana now faces other challenges than drought, poverty and HIV/AIDS, which were at the origin of its current range of social protection programmes; it now needs social assistance that is appropriate to its status as a leading country in Africa in terms of both economic and social development. The new paradigm will go beyond poverty reduction: it needs instead to build resilience, to redistribute wealth, to invest in all Batswana so that they can contribute to and share in the benefits of growth, and to build a new social compact between the State and its citizens. In common with other upper-middle and high-income countries, Botswana needs to consolidate a social assistance system that reflects the vulnerabilities of individuals throughout their lives, and leaves no-one behind. In summary: The new plan advocate for a “Life- course approach”” based on vulnerabilities, investing in infants as an investment for the future, building resilience, where the focus is not about graduating from any stage but that all citizens will need assistance depending on their vulnerabilities and whatever stage they are at in the life cycle.

Jul 13, 2020

COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery Plan for the Private Sector

Business Botswana has been supported by UNDP to develop Botswana’s Private Sector Economic Recovery Plan and accompanying M&E framework in response to the COVID 19 pandemic. The recovery plan is intended not only to provide recommendations to the Government of Botswana regarding support for the private sector in the context of Botswana’s planned COVID-19 Economic Stimulus Programme, but also to help build a more diverse and resilient economy.

Aug 12, 2020

Informal Sector Recovery Plan for Botswana 2020

This Informal Sector Recovery Plan is a compliment to the two “deep dive” Private Sector and Social Protection Recovery Plans The Informal Sector Recovery Plan is in two parts, Part 1 sets out the Analysis and Recommendations and Part 2, the Action Plan. Part 1 starts with a profile of the informal sector in Botswana. It is estimated that it constitutes around 5.3% of annual GDP, small compared to neighboring countries but nonetheless sizeable. This is followed by exploring an appropriate definition of the informal sector for the Botswana context. The Plan suggest that it should be one that is broad, inclusive, and accommodative of current and future dynamic changes occurring within the macroenvironment and the sector itself in terms of the heterogeneous characteristic features of new participants, and one that recognises decent work, formalisation, and the movement towards less vulnerable, more stable, more sustainable, more successful informal sector businesses as primary goals. Finally, the Plan proposes a definition of the informal sector based on the contents of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) R204 - Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy Recommendation, 2015.