Out with modesty; in with frankness – no ego nursing. Naledi Madala is spelling it out without holding back.  She behoves the nation to have a hard look in the mirror and acknowledge the wrong turns the country has taken – the unseized opportunities.The face of Botswana’s desired new economic order; a well-groomed economist, who ditched private sector employment for a Senior Policy Advisory role in the Ministry of Finance, is shaking the country from its slumber.What most have seen as a bleak future – simply because diamonds sales have declined – she has identified that as a huge opportunity to recalibrate the economic system. She simply oozes positivity in the midst of great uneasiness.  She talks to Patriot Business

Kindly discuss what prompted the setting up of Botswana Economic Transformation Programme.

MADALA:The Botswana Economic Transformation Programme (BETP) was born out of necessity and policy gaps. For decades, Botswana’s prosperity has been anchored on diamonds. Yet, the global economy is shifting, demand patterns are changing, and the risks of overdependence on a single resource are becoming clearer. BETP is therefore not an isolated reform, but a decisive step in fast-tracking and scaling up Botswana’s long-standing ambition to diversify its economy. Through the Big Fast Results methodology, it provides the discipline, urgency, and delivery focus needed to accelerate reforms that Botswana has always aspired to, broadening the economic base, attracting investment, creating sustainable jobs, and building resilience for the future.

How does it relate to the National Development Plan 12 that is about to be debated in Parliament? Wouldn’t it have been accommodated within the Plan?

MADALA:NDP 12 provides the strategic vision of where Botswana wants to go. BETP is the fast-track vehicle that gets us there. While the NDP sets the policy framework, BETP is about immediate execution and measurable results. BETP is designed to complement and accelerate the Plan by ensuring ideas don’t just stay on paper, they translate into jobs and income.

Quite often Govt has launched programmes that create some deviation from the NDP – those seen as temporary interventions that often divert funds and delay the main projects implementation.  Why is this a necessary deviation?

MADALA:Deviations are not distractions,they are shock absorbers. When the global economy changes suddenly, a government needs agile instruments to respond. BETP is exactly that – a flexible, time-bound intervention that ensures national development stays on course. Without it, we risk plans being overtaken by events. With it, we protect the NDP by making it resilient.

What are the key components of BETP?

MADALA:There are four components:

·        Diversification beyond diamonds, building competitive sectors like tourism, manufacturing, financial services and digitalisation, as well as upskilling and enhancing our skilled population.

• Job creation at scale, focusing on industries that offer productive employment for Batswana, including our youth and women.
• Private-sector partnerships, crowding in investment, not just relying on government.
• Forceful implementation, ensuring projects do not stall in bureaucracy but move decisively.

What is the role of Pemandu and why was it chosen to lead this programme?

MADALA:PEMANDU has a track record of turning complex ambitious national plans into tangible results, in Malaysia and around the world. Their role is to support, guide, transfer knowledge and accelerate Botswana’s transformation machinery so that Botswana can stand firmly to deliver our programme successfully in the long run.By partnering with them, we are making sure that the BETP is anchored in world-class execution discipline.Importantly, Government remains in full leadership of this programme, ensuring that the BETP not only succeeds, but leaves behind a stronger national system that can sustain transformation long into the future.

Are you satisfied with the turn out of companies and individuals that submitted their ideas for the BETP Lab? Categories the sectors that people are interested in.

MADALA:The response has been phenomenal. We received ideas from companies and individuals across sectors; agriculture, tourism, creative industries, mining value addition, digital economy, and manufacturing. This shows that Batswana  and friends of Botswana are ready, willing, and hungry to drive change.

Where do you see the funding of such programme coming from since Government is facing an unprecedented economic downturn with highly depleted financial resources?

MADALA:Transformation is not about spending more, but spending smarter. Funding will come from three streams:Private sector investment mobilised through unlocking stalled private projects pipeline, investment matching between ready investorsand bankable projects, as well actively driving public–private partnerships; Development partners and innovative financing models; Reprioritisation within government budgets.BETP is designed to stretch every Pula to deliver optimal impact.

Why do you have such high conviction rate about the essence and value of BETP?

MADALA:Because Botswana has the fundamentals and all of the seeds for transformation being  political stability, a young population, natural resources, and goodwill globally. What has been missing is urgency and disciplined execution. BETP provides that missing link. We have seen this model succeed elsewhere, and we know that with determination, Botswana can rewrite its economic story.

Which sectors do you personally see Botswana’s future in – and is the country ready to take advantage of such?

MADALA:I am fully aligned with the selected priority sectors, because they represent the areas where Botswana’s competitive advantages meet global demand. These focus sectors give us clarity and direction, ensuring that our efforts are concentrated where they can have the biggest immediate impact. At the same time, it is important to emphasize that the selection of these sectors does not close the door to opportunities outside them. If a transformational project emerges in a sector not listed, we do not ignore it. Instead, we will bring it into the BETP Lab, because transformation is about results, not boundaries. The selected sectors serve as a guide, recognizing that we could not do everything at once, but the vision remains inclusive of all opportunities that can accelerate diversification and growth.

When do you expect to see the first project from this exercise coming alive?

MADALA:We are not waiting for years. By next year, Batswana should already see flagship projects breaking ground. BETP is designed for speed and impact, so the first wins will come quickly to prove momentum and rally national confidence.

You moved from private sector to government – how has this transformation beento you personally and how excited are you about the future?

MADALA:It feels like coming full circle. I began my career at the Botswana Institute for Policy Analysis, and I always knew I would return to development and policy work, it is the kind of work that speaks to the core of my being. I went into the private sector to master the art of laser focused execution, something often missing in policy. The appointment came sooner than I had planned, but as the Bible reminds us, “At the right time, I the Lord will make it happen.” Now I have the privilege of combining purpose with execution, serving my nation and contributing to itsfuture. I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity to serve my nation.

Your work routine and team that you are running with.

MADALA:We operate with the discipline of a private-sector project team. Long hours, tight deadlines, and a resultsfirst culture. The team working on the BTEP is a mix of local talent and external experts, united by one purpose of delivery.

You use words ‘force implement’ – do you see sufficient local capacity to deliver some of these projects?

MADALA:Yes, but it must be sharpened. Capacity is not static,it grows with the challenge. By embedding skills transfer, training, and accountability, BETP will elevate local capacity. We are not just building projects,we are also building our local capacity.

Batswana have been blamed mostly for slowness and at times laziness – how do you intend to reshape attitudes and stimulate vigourness and an increased sense of belief among locals?

MADALA:By proving that success is possible. Attitudes change when people see progress with their own eyes, when projects take off, jobs are created, and income flows. We will also invest in communication and civic mobilisation to rebuild pride, belief, and urgency. Botswana must rediscover the spirit of pioneers who turned desert into prosperity. That spirit still lives in u