By Daanyaal Matthews
Botswana has been a major topic of conversation across Africa as the monumental political success of the Umbrella Democratic Change (UDC) overtook the historically powerful Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) with a sweeping victory at the polls. The victory of the UDC and the appointment of their leader, Duma Boko, as President have been tied to stagnation in the African state and a lack of trust of the populace in a BDP future.
This rationale behind the BDP’s failure and the UDC’s success has crafted a paradigm in Botswana where speculation is ripe as the country faces numerous woes both in employment and commodity trading as Botswana’s most profitable export—diamonds—have fallen in price with dependency on the commodity being a major point of concern, leading to queries on what the UDC will do in its new position.
Thelma Nyarhi, researcher at the Democracy Development Programme, the manifesto of the UDC, the words of the new president, and recent changes in executive leadership have reinvigorated hope in the landlocked African state.
“We have promises of a better economic future from the manifesto and even from the few decisions that have been made. We have seen an appointment of ministers that appear to be prepared and qualified for the position they have been put in,” argued Nyarhi.
Listen to the full interview here:
Photo: WikiMedia Commons
