June 21, 2005
Botswana Graduating from Aid

Botswana is a unique case study of aid dependence in Africa. It has gone from being one of the poorest, most aid dependent countries to a middle-income country no longer in need of significant amounts of external assistance and where aid donors have begun to phase out that assistance.

Botswana for almost 30 years has been one of the fastest growing developing countries. Its story is one in which aid and high economic growth have gone hand-in-hand (Figure A9.8.1).

Botswana has managed to use aid inflows exceptionally well. Through determined effort by the government, aid has been integrated into national strategies. If development assistance was not seen to fit with national policies and priorities, government has been willing to reject it. In the immediate years after independence, as only few students had completed secondary school, external assistance played a key role in building capacity. Much needed Technical Assistance helped to fund the geological exploration which eventually led to the identification of potentially rich mineral resources.

Extracted from The Commission for Africa’s report was published on 11 March 2005.