“Why Botswana must industrialize now” Kopelo

The effects of the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) has been greatly felt by the world, Africa being one of the hardest hit. Most low and middle income countries are on their knees, and Botswana is not an exception. Thabang Thomas Kopelo, the Secretary General of Tonota College of Education Student Representative Council (T.C.E SRC) explains why industrialization is the answer.

“We must formulate an African driven industrial policy and our government must dictate the pace, content and form of decisive industrialization with export capacity with priority being given to the black Africans. While pursuing the decisive industrialization, we must jealously protect infant industries through subsidies and any other progressive means to help them compete. Locally, we must reduce our importation bill as we are creating hundreds and thousands of jobs for Europeans while our people remain unemployed and exposed to harsh poverty conditions: All the minerals mined and produced in our country must be processed into finished goods to ensure that sustainable jobs are created. We can sell semi-processed goods to other African countries or even setup factories across the continent, by so doing, we will create jobs for our brothers and sisters. In their current form, special economic zones, collectively are not capacitated enough: the state must refine and pump money into them so that they can grow and serve their purpose to our people. No other country has decisively grew its economy without industrialization except for a few countries that export oil. Majority of the high income countries have taken the industrialization route as there is no shortcut to economic transformation.” Kopelo underscored.

According to Kopelo the fact that the government ran out of revenue making schemes and turned to escalating taxes and levies is a clear indication that Botswana is not anyhow special or exceptional. He is of the view that COVID-19 proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Botswana is just like other African countries. He observed that in the sense that Botswana could not diversify it’s economy beyond minerals and tourism.

Kopelo says African Problems needs African Solutions, and as such industrialization must be done in the context of Africa, using the advantage of raw materials that are readily available. He gave an example of herbs which can be used to manufacture medicines and as such getting a grip on pharmaceutical industry.

Industrialization, economic diversification, and citizen empowerment has been the talk for quite sometime, the government has been preaching about it. There is no time better, and as more pressing as now for such to be truly implemented. Or else like Kopelo said, “Until then, we shall forever dream of being a high income country.”