Africans need to fight for mental, economic decolonisation –Motshegwa
Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Monday February 17, 2025 13:19
He was addressing delegates during the Botswana Association of Local Authorities (BALA) national elective congress opening ceremony at the Adansonia Hotel, here. In his address, the Minister stated that it is time to decolonise colonial structures and educate their people. He further said Africa as a continent must decolonise the government system and economic system. Motshegwa further said the UDC government is anchored on a “democratic developmental state” which must be understood as fundamentally based on a progressive model of development. He elaborated that the model of development is capable of driving transformational agenda, which amongst others includes changing the semi-colonial economic structure, change the neo-liberal economic trajectory and develop a systematic central planning to coordinated government action around economic priorities that would enhance economic growth and socio-economic development. The minister indicated that the idea of a developmental state is hinged on the notion that development must involve the very people that need development. These people should be able to drive the development that they desire and also have choices for their livelihoods, he added. 'On the material “Why nations fail”, Daron Acemoglu and James A.
Robinson argue that the success or failure of nations is primarily due to the nature of their political and economic institutions. They submit that inclusive political and economic institutions are crucial for sustained economic growth. These institutions allow broad participation in economic and political life, encourage innovation, and create opportunities for people from all walks of life,' continued Motshegwa. He also said economic institutions are shaped by political power. According to Motshegwa, when political institutions are inclusive, they create economic systems that benefit the majority but when power is concentrated in the hands of elites, the economy is structured to serve their interests. In regard to the task at hand to the government ,he quoted Noam Chomsky: “The world is facing a confluence of three major crises unemployment, poverty, inequalities.” He further said these are the challenges they are facing as Local Government and the rest of the country. He said as Local Government, they play a profound role in developmental agenda therefore, they must advocate for an egalitarian society. Motshegwa explained that the same society denotes a belief in human equality especially with respect to social, political, and economic affairs. It also denotes fairness and equality, he added.
'The appropriate philosophy of government must be understood as one incorporating three major political doctrines: natural rights, republicanism, and constitutionalism. These ideas were part of the common intellectual currency of the 18th century in places such as America,' he continued. Motshegwa further said the philosophical foundations of governance and probity refer to the underlying principles and ideas that inform the way a society is governed, with a focus on ethical standards and the avoidance of corruption and abuse of power. He also said in the context of Pan Africanism, they must aim to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between African indigenous people. When speaking about the theme of the conference, 'Embracing change: A new dawn for local governance’, Motshegwa said it is befitting given the outcome of the October 2024 General Election. He said the message from Batswana by electing to vote UDC into government clearly spells out Batswana’s desire for change. He further indicated that the ushering in of alternative ideologies indeed presents a new dawn that they need to embrace in their quest to transform Botswana to a high-income economic status. Motshegwa also said through their ministry, they have also developed a draft national decentralisation policy, which is yet to be presented to the relevant structures of which consultations with full councils have commenced from the January 17-24, 2025 for the first group.
He explained that this policy seeks to grant local authorities greater autonomy by reducing the need for direct intervention by ministries in decision making and administration functions. He reminded the delegates of the ideals behind the establishment of a Local Government Association amongst others being to position local governance at the centre of every development discourse. Therefore, the minister stated that they should use the platform to foster cohesion, discuss issues of common interest, and engage government for continued lobbying and advocacy for policy reforms to be responsive to the ever-evolving socio-economic delivery dynamics. He also said there is a need for them to develop pathways for their own sources of revenue as well as cost containment initiatives to enable councils to deal with competing service delivery demands. 'The time is now for local governments, through your association, to kick-start engagements with stakeholders, including the government, on revenue generation at local levels,' he added.