THE BIG GOVERNANCE ISSUES IN BOTSWANA

The report evaluates Botswana's governance across 12 thematic areas, including human rights, separation of powers, and sustainable development. While acknowledging Botswana's global reputation for stability and economic management, it highlights systemic failures such as high gender-based violence, a lack of true separation between the Executive and Parliament, and significant economic inequality. It recommends structural reforms to the electoral system, the decentralisation of public services, and the establishment of a National Human Rights Institution to ensure more inclusive and accountable governance.

• Botswana faces severe challenges with gender-based violence (GBV), with nearly 40% of women experiencing some form of GBV in their lifetime and the country having the second highest rape rate globally at 92.9 incidents per 100,000 people.
• The separation of powers is compromised because the Executive dominates the Legislature; nearly half of Parliament's 57 members (34) are ministers or assistant ministers, and Parliament remains administratively under the Office of the President.
• The 'First Past the Post' (FPTP) electoral system is criticised for marginalising smaller political parties and underrepresenting women and youth, leading to a Parliament that is disproportionate to the popular vote.
• Despite economic growth, Botswana is one of the world's most unequal countries, with a Gini coefficient of 0.6; the richest 10% of the population control half of the national income, while the poorest 10% hold approximately 1%.
• Public service delivery is hindered by a lack of a comprehensive decentralisation policy, leaving major powers with the central government and resulting in poor performance, absenteeism, and inefficiency in local councils.
• Transparency and accountability are declining, evidenced by a drop in the Mo Ibrahim Index of African Governance overall score from 72.2 in 2008 to 68.5 in 2017, and a lack of autonomy for the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC).
• The education system suffers from a mismatch between curricula and labour market needs, with low transition rates from junior to senior secondary education (66%) and a lack of funding for research and development (0.08% to 0.09% of the national budget).
• Food insecurity is increasing due to semi-arid climate conditions and recurring droughts, with the prevalence of severe food insecurity reaching 41.2% of the population in 2019.
• Natural resource management is hampered by poor policy coherence and weak implementing authorities, such as the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) remaining a sectoral department rather than a parastatal.
• Botswana's foreign policy lacks a written, overarching framework, leaving the direction of international relations largely to the personal discretion of the President.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2021). THE BIG GOVERNANCE ISSUES IN BOTSWANA. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AGDP-BAPS-Report-BOTSWANA-March2021-FINAL-WEB.pdf

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. THE BIG GOVERNANCE ISSUES IN BOTSWANA. 2021. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AGDP-BAPS-Report-BOTSWANA-March2021-FINAL-WEB.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=THE BIG GOVERNANCE ISSUES IN BOTSWANA |date=March 2021 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AGDP-BAPS-Report-BOTSWANA-March2021-FINAL-WEB.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2021big, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{THE BIG GOVERNANCE ISSUES IN BOTSWANA}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AGDP-BAPS-Report-BOTSWANA-March2021-FINAL-WEB.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }