Botswana, an African success story, looks ever less exceptional
Wrangling over its diamond deal with De Beers shows why
In 1966 Botswana’s future looked grim. On the eve of its independence from Britain the country had 12km of paved roads, a hundred secondary-school graduates and a gdp per person that was half the average in sub-Saharan Africa. Today it has the highest average income on the African mainland, save for the odd petrostate. And it has always been a democracy.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Carats and sticks”
From the June 10th 2023 edition
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