Seretse Khama: Architect of a Nation

Under Khama's leadership, Botswana went from desperate poverty to an African success story. Botswana is among the few African countries which recorded no civil war and no coup d’etat since independenc

Upon gaining independence in 1966, Botswana was the third poorest country in the whole world. The country had only 22 graduates and 100 high school graduates. The majority of its population were herders and subsistence farmers. For a country about the size of France, Botswana had only 12km of tarred roads. This was a time when African countries were building airports. With no universities or hospitals, Botswana was written off as a “Desert for Bushmen”. A decade after independence, Botswana was recording a budget surplus. Five decades later, Botswana has a GDP per capita of over 18000 USD, which is more than the GDP per capita of Brazil and Argentina combined and more than 9 times the GDP per capita of Nigeria. The story of this miracle hinged upon the leadership of Sir Seretse Khama. 

The video attached below is a documentary on Seretse Khama and the transformation he brought to Botswana. Enjoy.