In response to the third call for proposals by the Pandemic Fund, an international financing mechanism with a budget of $500 million, Botswana developed a single-country proposal aimed at strengthening its health systems for pandemic preparedness and response through a One Health approach. The Fund supports countries with multiyear grants to enhance health system resilience, increase investments, and improve readiness for future health threats.

Guided by the Fund’s principles of promoting collaboration and coordinated action, Botswana’s health stakeholders convened for the third consecutive year to identify and prioritize the country’s needs. To support this effort, the Botswana Public Health Institute (BPHI), in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), established a Technical Working Group to lead the proposal development. In addition, a National Steering Committee was formed to oversee governance and coordination of the proposal process.

These coordination structures ensure national ownership of the proposal and its operational plan, including implementation, monitoring, and evaluation, providing strong national oversight throughout.

The 2025 proposal outlines activities focused on strengthening early warning and disease surveillance systems, enhancing laboratory capacity for both human and animal health, and building the public health and community workforce, core components of Botswana’s One Health strategy.