Botswana at 60 challenges the story of postcolonial African failure

What the report says

Botswana is marking 60 years of independence from Britain with Diamond Jubilee celebrations nationwide, and Al Jazeera says the anniversary highlights an unusually strong postcolonial development record. The article recalls that the country began independence in 1966 as one of the world’s poorest states, with very limited infrastructure and a tiny pool of university graduates, but later became an upper-middle-income economy with major gains in roads, electricity, education and healthcare.

The piece credits much of that progress to Botswana’s management of diamond wealth through institutions such as Debswana, the Pula Fund and foreign-exchange reserves. It says the government used mineral revenues to fund public services and development rather than allowing them to be lost to corruption or a classic resource curse. Al Jazeera notes, however, that the economy still depends heavily on diamonds, leaving it exposed to weaker global demand and competition from lab-grown stones.

The article says that dependence has fed a recent slowdown, with contractions in 2024 and 2025 and unemployment remaining a serious challenge, especially among young people. It argues Botswana now needs to diversify into areas such as technology, tourism, renewable energy, manufacturing and exports. The country’s recent political transition, peaceful change of government in 2024, and sporting successes are presented as part of a broader national milestone.