According to a recent report by UNICEF the share of the population living in extreme poverty stands at 13.5 per cent. In addition Botswana is still one of the most unequal countries in the world. Te BDP has come under fire from the opposition for failing to


include citizens in the mainstream economy after more than five decades of independence.


work, but the economy is adding jobs at a slower pace. Pressure is therefore mounting on the BDP due to unprecedented rise in unemployment levels. While the government is working to encourage economic diversification these efforts have not yet yielded sufficient results. According to a recent report by UNICEF the share of the


population living in extreme poverty stands at 13.5 per cent. In addition Botswana is still one of the most unequal countries in the world. Te BDP has come under fire from the opposition for failing to include citizens in the mainstream economy after more than five decades of independence. At the same time the lack of jobs has become a major issue and youth unemployment is alarmingly high. Data from the World Bank shows that Bots- wana’s youth unemployment rate currently stands at over 44 per cent while overall unemployment stands at around 26 per cent. In 2023 the economy as measured by the gross domestic product was projected to grow by 3.8 per cent, a decline from the 6.7 per cent recorded in 2022 as the economy was hit by a decline in demand for diamonds.


CURRENT ECONOMIC POLICY After serving as vice-president and education minister for four years under the presidency of Ian Khama, Mokgweetsi Masisi become the 5th president of Botswana in April 2018. Like all of his predecessors, he represents the Botswana Demo- cratic Party. Masisi an ex teacher pledged that he would give priority to tackling youth unemployment and diversifying its economy. Speaking before the United Nations in August 2022 he an-


nounced that Botswana should diversify its economy to reduce its heavy dependence on diamonds. Botswana is facing "an uphill battle" to attract investors to diversify its economy away from dependence on diamonds, the president said, while pointing out the resource is still the "bedrock" of its economy. Botswana has seen a recovery in economic growth this year.


S&P Global, an international provider of information and benchmark prices for the commodity and energy markets, has forecast a rebound in Botswana's economic growth in 2024. In February Finance Minister Peggy Serame said in a budget speech that growth was estimated at 3.2 per cent in 2023, lower than a previous forecast of 3.8 per cent, picking up to 4.2 per cent this year and 5.4 per cent in 2025 premised on the world economy recovering. Growth is expected throughout 2025-28, driven by the services and mining sectors. Te Minister announced that the government planned to


increase spending on infrastructure development in a "stimulus" budget. Serame emphasised that spending on infrastructure


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