Relevance: Botswana's diamond industry is/has collapsed, and the country's economy is contracting. The government, led by the first non-BDP President in the country's history, has been working around the clock to develop a new, diversified, economic plan and attract investment. If they succeed, it will be another example of the value of democracy to developing countries. This article presents a big new solar project they have been able to attract.
The world, and many African authoritarians, want to argue that democracy doesn't work. We must concede that if we praise Botswana's democracy for decades in the good years, we have to own its failure now that diamonds are drying up – why didn't the democracy appropriately diversify early enough?
But if Botswana succeeds in pivoting, then we get to double down on our position – especially because the current Botswana government is the first non-BDP government. It will mean that democracy does work – or at least it will lend strength to that argument.
We have to own this, whichever way it goes, so that is why it is relevant for us to follow the story of Botswana's evolving economy.
Posted by Top_Lime1820
1 Comment
>why didn’t the democracy appropriately diversify early enough?
this isn’t a command economy
but waow and based to the solar field