28 Jan 2025

Botswana’s quest to end pockets of endemic poverty within certain segments of the country’s population requires the support of key stakeholders in the caliber of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group. 

During a courtesy call paid on him by the head of the AfDB, Dr Akinwumi Adesina on the sidelines of the 2025 Africa Heads of State Energy Summit in Tanzania on Monday, President Advocate Duma Boko said while much of the focus of the summit would be on assisting least-developed countries, it was important to not lose sight of the fact that even those deemed upper-middle income still needed assistance in order to be able to address some of the challenges associated with the energy deficiency. 

He said assisting countries such as Botswana through the availing of concessional funding by partners such as the AfDB would help address some of the challenges that breed stark economic inequalities within society, thereby perpetuating the grip of poverty on certain sections of the population. 

Highlighting the urgent need to address energy deficiency in both the region and in Botswana, President Boko said enhancing access to electricity would help people break free from the shackles of poverty in more ways than one, with putting some impetus on the pace of infrastructure development in different countries within the African continent being one of the most immediate outcomes from which people would reap great returns. 

In the case of Botswana, President Boko said the country was poised to leverage fully on the two-day summit, one of the primary objectives being to be able to bring on board those citizens whom energy deficiency had pushed to the periphery of mainstream society. 

“We have those on the downside, in the underbelly of society. These stark inequalities [created by energy deficiency] create serious problems because others are not able to enjoy participating in their civic duties as they ought to,” he said, expressing optimism that the AfDB would play a lead role in helping Botswana surmount her energy deficiency challenges.

President Boko also said he expected that the energy summit, christened the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit due to the ambitious goal embodied within it for Africa to provide electricity access to 300 million of its people by 2030, would invoke deep conversations that would move different countries and the whole continent forward in terms of sustainable access to energy. 

In response, Dr Adesina informed President Boko that he would cherish the opportunity to engage the Botswana government further on pertinent issues. 

As Dr Adesina’s tenure as president of the AfDB will be drawing to a close in May, one of the contenders to the post, Senegal’s Mr Amadou Hott also paid a courtesy call on President Boko, seeking Botswana’s support for his aspiration to head the regional multi-lateral development finance institution.

Mr Hott said with the great potential for growth and sustainable prosperity that Botswana was endowed with, the country could benefit from the AfDB not only through the provision of finance but also through the availing of technical assistance to help drive its transformation agenda. 

Zooming in on the need for the country to enhance the pace with which it moved towards the adoption of renewable energy, he said the fact that around 90 per cent of Botswana’s electricity was said to be coal-generated, ought to be viewed as a compelling reason for it to explore alternative energy sources such as solar. 

The meetings between President Boko and both Dr Adesina and Mr Hott, were part of a couple of other engagements that the president have in addition to participating in the energy summit. ENDS