‘Dear Intellectuals’
At the time of writing this Botswana is languishing in a perilous state—our economy contracted by 3.3 percent in 2024, youth unemployment suffocates 34.4 percent of our future, and our mining sector, once a titan, stumbles under global pressures. Foreign owned banks continue to make more profits than ever. Inequality remains high. We are a nation blessed with stability, democracy, and abundant resources, yet we falter where others soar. Israel, a 7.1-million-strong nation with no natural resources and enemies at every turn, boasted 63 NASDAQ-listed companies by 2009, thriving through relentless innovation. Why, then, does Botswana—free of conflict and rich in wealth—fail to deliver land, jobs, and economic opportunities to its people? The answer is twofold: we’ve delayed the shift from natural resources to intellectual capital, and too many of our so-called intellectuals have lingered in the comfort zone, content with complacency while the nation stagnates.
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