As the European colonisation of Africa drew to a close in the 20th century, Botswana is one of the few nations in the continent that managed to maintain a level of relative economic stability as well as a representative democracy after independence in 1966.

At a time of great geopolitical tension during the ongoing Cold War, the USSR saw Botswana’s independence as a great opportunity to gain an ally and instil communist ideologies.

In fact, the USSR was one of the first governments to recognise Botswana as an independent nation. However, unlike Benin and Angola, Botswana never adopted the communist model.

Today, Botswana is a democratic republic and, according Transparency International’s 2016 corruption index, has the least corrupt government in all of Africa. Furthermore, an ever-growing infrastructure and bi-lateral agreements has transformed Botswana into the fourth largest GDP in the continent, with one of the fastest growth rates per capita in the world.

This is partly thanks to the nation’s abundance of natural resources. The world’s largest diamond mine can be found in Orapa in the north-eastern part of the country. Roughly 40% of all the Government’s revenue in Botswana is generated from the Orapa Diamond Mine.

As well as the mining sector, the nation’s economy is dominated by cattle and tourism and has also seen heavy investment in its financial sector in recent years. Botswana was able to stockpile over $7bn in foreign exchange reserves back in 2005/06, amounting to almost two and a half years of current imports.

Indeed, with strong fiscal policies, free-market enterprises and a well-developed capitalised system that allows for high interest rates, the nation has been attracting a number of foreign investors in recent times.
Allies and partners

The US is the largest provider of aid and medical relief to Botswana with many NGOs and peace corps professionals based in the African country. The two nations also share multiple embassies and consulates between them.

However, Russia is perhaps seen as more of an ally to the people of Botswana. Despite failing to follow the Soviet Union’s ideological path at the time, Botswana and Russia have maintained good relations and to this day hold numerous trade policies and cooperation agreements between them, as well as embassies and consulates.

Other perhaps more surprising allies include Israel and Pakistan, with both being a favoured business partner of Botswana over the years. Pakistan even has overseas embassies in Beijing, China, and Yemen.

However, Israel perhaps has closer cooperation agreements and has invested heavily in Botswana’s irrigation sector to help the African nation fight off desertification and drought. The Jewish state has done this by suggesting technological developments in agriculture and desalination used in their own country.

Furthermore, Israel’s Ben Gurion University agreed facilitate the development of the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST). Students from the African country will also be invited to Israel to complete their studies before returning to build the staff of the new University.

Botswana’s closest allies are also their nearest, Namibia and South Africa. The countries have a shared history in terms of being former British colonies.

A substantial portion of the Botswana’s economy is dependent on South Africa and the two have signed numerous agreements on tax, agriculture, health, transport etc.

Namibia, which used to be part of South Africa, also has close ties with Botswana. In fact, Botswana was one of the first countries to recognise Nambia’s independence from South Africa and sign treaties.

Since gaining independence, Botswana has stepped into the international limelight and thrived.

As a young nation, the country continues to develop and expand economically, whilst it also keeps an eye towards persevering its wildlife and natural habitats.