President Masisi's Davos playbook

On the hunt: Masisi is expected to present Botswana's investment case PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO
On the hunt: Masisi is expected to present Botswana's investment case PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO

President Mokgweetsi Masisi is heading to the World Economic Forum once again for the second year running.

But the world is changing and Davos isn’t what it used to be anymore. This year it is happening on the same week as the UK-Africa investment summit. So, whether the decision to go shake hands with the political and business elite of the world in the snow instead of attending a more focused, smaller, investment focused platform is a wise choice remains to be seen. Botswana possibly lost a full decade detached from the world at head of state level and will have to play a lot of catch up at these summits.

For the past several decades, world leaders, CEOs, tech titans, billionaires, philanthropists and the like have flocked to Davos, Switzerland with the goal of “improving the state of the world.” For developing countries, the goal has always been to network and take advantage of the tons of investors in Davos and put a positive spin on the message that their countries are ripe and ready for investment.

Editor's Comment
The Boko-led administration has to tread carefully

‘When you make peace withyourself, you make peace with the world’- Maha GhosanandaThis may come at a huge cost if not handled properly. What started off on Labour Day in Letlhakane this year, where Boko was in attendance when the militant lawyer-cum-trade unionist, Robert Rabasimane rebutted the President’s address in defence of the trade union has seemingly spiralled out of control. The issue is now creating a cat-and-mouse type of a...

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