Academics and left-wing intellectuals seem puzzled by Botswana’s economic success. After all, the rest of the 54 African states are sliding downwards, or trying desperately to get out of the mire that they have sunk into since independence.
Why Botswana’s achievement should require such furrowing brows seems racist to some people (how could Africans actually run a growing economy with independent institutions like a judiciary and the like?). Common sense should make it obvious why the country has succeeded.
Nevertheless, not only is there is a veritable glut of academic research on the subject, search Google for “Why is Botswana such a success” and you get 23 million hits. That is how many people have asked the same question. Common sense is, alas, not that common.
Zambian intellectuals put it down to strong and accountable public institutions, checks and balances on politicians, and a strong homogenous population. Zambia, by contrast, has 174 different tribes but prefers not to mention this and in the Kenneth Kaunda years it did not have the other two factors either.
Another answer is that Botswana holds private property rights sacred. It therefore follows that no socialistic meddling in the economy is a requirement for success. Jeremy Cronin, please note.
As a British protectorate, the country was the most poverty-stricken territory ever painted pink on the imperial map. The colonialists did nothing by way of economic development apart from driving a railway line up its eastern edge.
On independence, in September 1966, Botswana had to start from scratch. It inherited nothing so colonialism could never provide a handy excuse for anything that went wrong.
We, on the other hand can, and do, blame apartheid for out failures.
Botswana’s leadership wisely listened to economists that were not closet socialists. They took advice from World Bank types rather than academics or, indeed, clerical politicians and aid agencies. They were happy to accept aid, but only on their terms. Unlike Tanzania and Zambia, Botswana was determined not to become a testing ground for economic theories. Kaunda and Julius Nyerere by contrast fell in love with them.
The result was that Botswana got richer slowly, the old way. Zambia and Tanzania had to reach rock bottom before they realised their mistake.
This slow, purposeful approach truly did achieve a better life for all Botswana’s citizens. They rose steadily out of poverty without riots, strikes, revolutions, and coups, and they now have a standard of living on a par with Chile and Argentina…
South Africa Today Africa – Southern Africa Botswana News
