By the way, corruption, is one of the biggest hindrances to citizen economic empowerment. Forget what they taught you; corruption simply means the selling of economic opportunities belonging to the people, by those in power, to the highest bidder. In most cases the highest bidders, are those who have immediate access to capital. Corruption is the disempowerment of the lower and middle classes and the retention of wealth in the hands of the privileged elite. The corrupt generally don’t reinvest in the economy. They stash loot in the Cayman Island, buy expensive toys, and beachfront houses. The most they contribute to the job market is underpaid house maids, grounds-men and chauffeurs. The result is growing income disparity, socio-economic despondency, unemployment and the stagnation of the economy. In all these, it is the poor that suffer. Defeating corruption should be a specific national objective. Regrettably, the very people who are supposed to be leading the effort, invariably turn out to be the corrupt. That alone, explains why the DCEC remains under the Office of the President. It is simply to keep the entity on a short leash. There is no other explanation.
One of the most underdeveloped sectors in our economy, is dam tourism. I raised this subject with friends the other day. We have good dams in Botswana, from Dikgathong, Ntimbale, Shashe down to Letsibogo. Away from the rich Okavango, now alienated to politically connected white people, the pleasure and leisure sectors beckon around the nation’s magnificent dams. Whole rural economies could be uplifted if this sector was to be given the attention it deserves. I discussed with friends, the other day, that the relatively small Mogobane Dam, which is really an oversized swimming pool, could change the fortunes of the village. Same with Bokaa, Gaborone, and Nnywane Dams. But all these are underexploited while communities wallow in poverty and unemployment.
