Botswana turns to Boko
Botswana turns to Boko
In a political earthquake, the Botswana Democratic Party, in power since 1966, was consigned to a decisive defeat in this month's general election. The party has been left with just four of 61 seats in parliament. President Mokgweetsi Masisi immediately accepted the result and handed power to opposition leader Duma Boko.?
With hindsight, the warning signs had been flashing for the BDP. As reported by African Business in September, the country’s record in generating wealth from its diamond industry has not been matched by success in creating jobs in diamond value addition. Unemployment has hovered at around 25% for many years, with youth unemployment at times exceeding 35%.?“The UDC campaigned heavily on jobs and the country’s unemployment crisis was one of the main reasons the BDP was punished at the polls,” says analyst Louw Nel at Oxford Economics Africa.?
Still, the UDC will have its work cut out to fulfil its promises to create up to 500,000 jobs over the next five years (only around 750,000 adults have jobs at present). If the party is to stand any chance, it will have to make real and lasting progress in diversifying the diamond-dependent economy.
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