The perils of Botswana’s welfare state

Friday, March 07, 2025 | 540 Views |

Helping hand: The country’s welfare programmes cover citizens from birth onwards. However, analysts believe there is scope to introduce more targeted assistance to the neediest

To what extent are the numerous social welfare interventions restraining Botswana’s development prospects? And how practical is a ballooning welfare budget amid a fiscal crisis like none the country has seen? Will Botswana’s welfare statisim crumble like the Soviet Wall in 1991 or will it endure to great fortunes like the Nordic countries? TIMOTHY LEWANIKA enquires

Of the many fading values that served as the cornerstone of yesteryear Botswana, there is one that seems to be dissipating faster than most – the value of self-reliance.

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