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Botswana: A Note on Economic Diversification

Botswana Journal of Economics

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Title Botswana: A Note on Economic Diversification
 
Creator Sekwati, L
 
Subject Economic Diversification, Implementation, monitoring and accountability, Political commitment
 
Description Despite a series of supportive policies over the years, economic diversification remains an obscurity for Botswana. The economy remains heavily dependent on diamond mining, while the private sector, considered pivotal in the strategy for diversification, continues to be shallow and narrow, with weak inter sectoral diversity and production links. In addition to proliferation of fragmented, uncoordinated policies and/or strategies, which have seriously undermined implementation and monitoring (and accountability in the case of institutions), the paper identifies passive political commitment, especially with regard to supporting innovation, research and development as some of the major contributing factors to sluggish progress on economic diversification. Government‟s slow rate of response towards addressing factors that inhibit private sector growth and competitiveness (including utility costs, cost of capital, access to land etc) in yester years has also compounded the problem. With renewed vigor and excitement in government in recent times, especially with regard to the “Excellence Strategy” and the “Economic Diversification Drive”, it is imperative that these factors be taken on board, otherwise these latest initiatives will only perpetuate what has been the case over the years.

Keywords: Economic Diversification, Implementation, monitoring and accountability, Political commitment
 
Publisher The Botswana Economics Association
 
Contributor
 
Date 2011-03-08
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Peer-reviewed Article
 
Format application/pdf
 
Identifier https://www.ajol.info/index.php/boje/article/view/64205
10.4314/boje.v7i11.64205
 
Source Botswana Journal of Economics; Vol 7, No 11 (2010); 79-85
1810-0163
1810-0163
 
Language eng
 
Relation https://www.ajol.info/index.php/boje/article/view/64205/52000
 
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