Since attaining the status of a middle income state, Botswana has seen a drastic reduction in international aid.
Many international development partners and organisations that used to be run from this country providing Botswana with the much needed assistance immediately relocated the moment the United Nations declared Botswana a middle income country.
While we should be proud of our achievement, it has been difficult for us to celebrate because of the paradox that instead of receiving further encouragement to try even higher, we were, in a way, punished for our very success.
It does not happen every day that success can be such an unmitigated curse.
But that is exactly what it has been to Botswana.
We have seen other countries being rewarded for the plunder they visited on their resources while on the other hand we are punished for our circumspect and prudent economic management. What an irony!
To justify their relocation and with it a transfer of their patronage, the development partners have said they simply have had to shift their attention to where there is greater need.
The more churlish and blunt ones said Botswana had become a wealthy nation and there was no longer any justification to allow the country to compete for the meager assistance with the poorer ones.
It cannot be true that Botswana is a wealthy country.
Notwithstanding all the success, which we acknowledge, Botswana remains a third world, developing nation.
It may fairly be asked if Botswana has to slide back to the degrading poverty from which it has emerged for the much needed assistance to be restored.
On a state visit to Japan this past week, president Khama demurred against the paradox of withdrawing aid simply because Botswana had reached a certain status.
This is a position we have held for long as a newspaper.
During his time, former President Festus Mogae also harped on the matter, trying, without much success, to point out the dangers of cutting off assistance simply because Botswana had reached or crossed a certain milestone in her efforts to take off.
We note with reassurance that from Khama’s speech there is improvement.
The truth of the matter is that other than in the fight against HIV/AIDS, outside help has over the last few years dwindled to near zilch.
We get some solace from the President’s speech that there has been a change of heart – so to speak ÔÇô among donors, but it is important to emphasise that such assistance is not to be confused with the many soft loans, especially from China that bring with them a litany of strings attached.
Botswana is where it is today, mainly because of diamonds revenue.
There is still a long way the country has to go in terms of human development.
To reach higher and more sustainable levels, there is no doubt that we will continue to need technical assistance from other more developed countries.
It, therefore, cannot be correct to say just because the country was in the past able to amass billions from diamond sales, the money which was in turn used to catapult the country’s development pace, we therefore are no longer in need of outside help.
It’s even worse when an impression is created that such assistance is withdrawn owing to our good behaviour and economic success.
