Mmegi

Botswana’s tale of many strengths but master of none

Green opportunity: Previous advisors have said Botswana has a unique opportunity to position itself as a global leader in sustainable tourism PIC THALEFANG CHARLES
Green opportunity: Previous advisors have said Botswana has a unique opportunity to position itself as a global leader in sustainable tourism PIC THALEFANG CHARLES

There is an annoying question every child hates to be asked: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Assuming personification of the question, what do we want Botswana to become when she is fully developed? Frankly there is no collectively agreed answer, leading to the hazy development model the country lingers in, writes TIMOTHY LEWANIKA

Botswana can become a sundry number of things. Some mutter that the country can become a logistics hub whilst some posit it can become a financial transactions hub shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of Switzerland. The list goes on and on. This confusion on what Botswana’s competitive advantage is can also be seen in the lack of clarity in national development planning and budgeting tools, a confusion that has chained down the nation’s development prospects.

Recently the Botswana National Productivity Centre (BNPC) brought together government parastatals and some members of the private sector to explore actions being taken to address Botswana’s performance in the World Competitiveness rankings. Government is, as always, addressing the ease of doing business and enhancing a bunch of other policies that quite frankly may not be aligned to the broader development mandate the country has.

Editor's Comment
Tana project a welcome development

Whilst the project received mixed reactions from members of the public, the project is indeed a welcome development, which needs to be implemented as soon as possible. Many shared their opinion, with those against the project decrying that if implemented, it will kill the already struggling public transport industry.Many countries around the world have state-run public transport, and those who have travelled to such countries will give testimony...

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