Diplomat-in-chief: How has COVID-19 shaped Masisi

The world has since never been the same. The advent of the global health crisis coincided with President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s ascension to the presidency immediately after the 2019 elections. A year later, what defined Masisi’s foreign policy agenda and his fabric as a diplomat after the elections is not radically different from what defines it now.

But as the diplomat in chief, the pandemic has forced a shift to his modus operandi. Masisi emerged from the vice presidency as a jet-setting head of state who lived for the face-to-face interactions at global fora. He took over when Botswana’s diplomatic engagements at the head of state level had experienced a decade-long sabbatical.