Botswana is one of few countries in Africa that offer a living testimony that with the right leadership and governance, any nation can move it’s people from poverty to prosperity. With just 2.6 Million people, the country has systematically become a model on the African continent with per Capita income of $6700. Achieving it’s independence in 1966 from the British, the country was among the ten poorest countries in the world. It’s leaders drafted a plan of how they could move the country forward. They invested in education, got skills to exploit their natural resources especially diamond and went on to establish governance systems.
To date, Botswana has never deviated from the laid down laws and policies which makes the country the best surviving example of African home grown solution to better leadership and consistent growth. No country has ever grown amidst chaos and non will ever excel with egoistic rulers. We need to push this information down the throat of our leaders for them to understand that development has never been delivered by individuals but by systems, institutions and structures.
We don’t need strong leaders, we need strong institutions because leaders expire but institutions don’t. We need foresighted leaders that know the importance of systems. We need leaders that mentor other leaders. We need a pool of people that fully understand the mission of the State, its goals and aspirations. We need leaders that understand that institutions are slow to deliver results but they are more dependable and offer sustainable development. We need leaders that understand the importance of democracy and god governance If Botswana did it, other African nations can do it.