Botswana deploys inaugural ‘Every Policy is Connected Framework’ for better development integration

The National Planning Commission (NPC) of Botswana, has successfully concluded a pioneering capacity-building workshop on the “Every Policy is Connected” (EPiC) Framework. The workshop convened over 40 senior officials and technical experts from key institutions, including the National Planning Commission, Statistics Botswana, the Ministry of Finance, and multiple sectoral ministries in Gaborone from 26 to 29 January 2026. Through interactive presentations, policy-data dialogue simulations, and hands-on group exercises, participants directly applied the EPiC framework to the priorities of NDP 12, which is set to be the principal vehicle for delivering the country’s Vision 2036 and the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme (BETP).

In his remarks at the opening of the workshop, Mr. Kabelo A. Ebineng, Commissioner General of the National Planning Commission, highlighted the critical timing of the intervention. He reflected, “One of the key challenges we continue to face is ensuring that policies across sectors are aligned and mutually reinforcing. The EPiC tool directly responds to this challenge.” He reaffirmed NPC’s commitment to institutionalizing the approaches introduced for sustained impact beyond the workshop.

In her address, Ms. Wenyan Yang, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Botswana, underscored the workshop’s significance and called for a robust results framework and a modern approach to monitoring development progress. “We must measure what we want to improve – what’s not measured is invisible, thus will not be improved,” She also congratulated Botswana as the pioneering African country to roll out the EPiC tool, a move set to inspire regional peers.

Speaking on behalf of Ms. Eunice Kamwendo, Director of ECA’s Southern Africa Office, Ms. Zodwa Florence Mabuza also emphasized EPiC’s role in promoting policy coherence and evidence-based, inclusive development, and reaffirmed ECA’s continued support for Botswana’s development agenda.

The training responded to the Government of Botswana’s request for support in finalizing a coherent, evidence-based results and indicator framework for NDP 12. The EPiC framework, developed and implemented in Asia and the Pacific region by ESCAP, is designed to break down policy silos in the development of comprehensive indicator frameworks to track development plans. It systematically analyses interlinkages across four dimensions: Economic Prosperity, Social Inclusion, Environmental Sustainability, and Institutional Resilience, ensuring cross-cutting priorities like gender equality and climate action are embedded from the outset.

The training marks the inaugural use of the EPiC framework in Africa with experts from ESCAP providing core technical guidance and support for the sessions, bringing their extensive practical experience from the region into the African context. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights further enriched the training by emphasizing the importance, value, and practical application of a human rights-based approach to development, with particular focus on mainstreaming the principle of leaving no one behind - a core element of NDP 12.

The workshop was organized by the Development Planning Section of the Macroeconomics, Finance and Governance Division at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in partnership with The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).  ECA remains committed to supporting Botswana and other African member States in developing coherent, evidence-based, and future-ready national development plans that effectively translate aspirations into tangible improvements in the lives of their citizens.