Abstract:
Prior to gaining independence in 1966, Botswana was one of the poorest countries in the world and
is today one of the fastest growing economies globally. The country is renowned for its mineral led economy
producing primarily high value diamonds. Its diverse landscape and unique wildlife earned the country international
recognition and thus is now, a prime tourist destination. Notwithstanding, there is still an enormous
degree of economic disparity in Botswana's population. In the year 2020, the country's Gini-coefficient was
at 53.3 placing it among the top 10 countries with the most unequal distributions of wealth. Like most countries
in Africa, Botswana implements anti-poverty policies and strategies however the implementation and
outcomes of the same requires evaluation. In this regard, this paper explores the efficiency of Botswana's
anti-poverty policies and strategies linking the same to job creation. The study applies chiefly Bradshaw's theories
of poverty to analyze the state of poverty in Botswana. The methodology adopted includes a qualitative
approach and a case study strategy with Botswana as a unit of analysis. The underlying philosophy for this
paper is phenomenology. Findings indicate that Botswana's poverty alleviation policies and strategies have
contributed to reduce the level of poverty from independence to date. Nevertheless, in the effort to reduce
poverty, these policies and strategies continue to face challenges that negatively affect the effective implementation
of the policies and strategies. To this end, this paper discusses the extent to which these policies
and strategies have been effective in alleviating poverty in Botswana amidst the ever pertinent question of
unemployment.
Description:
Journal articles published in the 6th Annual International Conference on Public Administration and Development Alternatives (IPADA), 06-08 October 2021, Virtual Conference