Postcolonial Governance in Botswana

Abstract

The postcolonial era in Botswana started with what the author referred to as the neocolonial interlude. During this period, elites who worked to gain independence ruled Botswana. They lacked legitimacy because of their closeness to the colonial masters and their actions to marginalize the traditional institutions. The postcolonial era started with the election of a former chief as the President. He began dismantling the colonial mentality that did not help Botswana and instead integrated the traditional institutions into the modern governance structures in postcolonial governance. He realized that leveraging on the collective contributions of the people was the best way to craft a path of success for Botswana. The chapter described the integration of the traditional and postcolonial institutions to get a system that drove economic development and the people's collective identity in the nation. Botswana achieved what other African countries with similar colonial experiences did not achieve because they valued the traditional institutions and changed them to fit the postcolonial reality.

Citation

Amah, O.E. (2023), "Postcolonial Governance in Botswana", Amah, O.E. (Ed.) Resolving the African Leadership Challenge, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 27-35. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80262-677-320231009