The Batswana,a term also used to denote all citizens of Botswana,refers to the country's major ethnic group. Prior to European contact,the Batswana lived as herders and farmers under tribal rule.
Botswana is a parliamentary republic in which the President of Botswana is both head of state and head of government. The nation's politics are based heavily on British parliamentary politics and on traditional Batswana chiefdom. The legislature is made up of the unicameral National Assembly and the advisory body of tribal chiefs,the Ntlo ya Dikgosi. The National Assembly chooses the president,but once in office the president has significant authority over the legislature with only limited separation of powers. The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) rules as a dominant party;while elections are considered free and fair by observers,the BDP has controlled the National Assembly since independence. Political opposition often exists between factions in the BDP rather than through separate parties,though several opposition parties exist and regularly hold a small number of seats in the National Assembly.
Festus Gontebanye Mogae is a Botswana politician and economist who served as the third President of Botswana from 1998 to 2008. He succeeded Quett Masire as President in 1998 and was re-elected in October 2004;after ten years in office. He stepped down in 2008 and was succeeded by Lieutenant General Seretse Khama Ian Khama.
The Botswana Democratic Party is the governing party in Botswana. Its chairman is the Vice-President of Botswana,Slumber Tsogwane,and its symbol is a lift jack. The party has ruled Botswana continuously since gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1966. The BDP is sometimes classified as a paternalistic conservative party and is also a consultative member of the Socialist International since 2014,which is a group including many worldwide social-democratic parties.
The University of Botswana (UB) was established in 1982 as the first institution of higher education in Botswana. The university has three campuses:one in the capital city Gaborone,one in Francistown,and another in Maun. The university is divided into six faculties:Business,Education,Engineering,Humanities,Health Sciences,Science and Social Sciences and the Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital. UB is ranked 1201–1500 in the world and 21st in sub-Saharan Africa in the 2024 Times Higher Education World University Ranking.
The Chevening Scholarship is an international scholarship,funded by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and partner organizations,that lets foreign students with leadership qualities study at universities in the United Kingdom.
Unity Dow is a Motswana lawyer,human rights activist,specially elected member of parliament,and a writer. She formerly served as a judge on the High Court of Botswana and in various Botswana government ministries. Born in the Bechuanaland Protectorate to a seamstress and a farmer,who insisted on their children obtaining an education,Dow grew up in a traditional rural village before modernisation. She earned a law degree in 1983 from the University of Botswana and Swaziland,though her studies were completed in Swaziland and University of Edinburgh,Scotland,as Botswana had no law school at the time. After her graduation,Dow opened the first all-woman law firm in Botswana and in 1997 became the first woman to be appointed as a judge to the country's High Court.
Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi is a Botswana journalist and politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Botswana from 2014 until December 2018. She was appointed to the National Assembly of Botswana in 1999 as one of the four specially selected members and was re-elected in the 2004 general elections.
Seretse Khama Ian Khama is a Botswana politician and former military officer who was the fourth President of the Republic of Botswana from 1 April 2008 to 1 April 2018. After serving as Commander of the Botswana Defence Force,he entered politics and was Vice-President of Botswana from 1998 to 2008,then succeeded Festus Mogae as President on 1 April 2008. He won a full term in the 2009 election and was re-elected in October 2014.
Ponatshego Honorius Kefaeng Kedikilwe is a Motswana politician who was Vice-President of Botswana from 2012 to 2014. A member of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP),he has also served as Minister of Minerals,Energy,and Water Resources since 2007.
Margaret Nnananyana Nasha is a Botswana politician who served as the Speaker of the National Assembly from 2009 to 2014. She was the first woman to hold the position.
Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi is a Botswana politician who is the fifth and current President of Botswana,serving since 2018. He served as the 8th Vice President of Botswana from 12 November 2014 to 1 April 2018. He was a Member of Parliament in the National Assembly for the Moshupa-Manyana constituency from 2009 to 2018.
Slumber Tsogwane is the current Vice President of Botswana and also Member of Parliament for Boteti West. He is the longest serving Member of Parliament of the 12th Parliament of Botswana. He took office on 4 April 2018,succeeding Mokgweetsi Masisi. He is a member of the Botswana Democratic Party.
Neo Jane Masisi also known as Mma Atsile is the First Lady of Botswana,the wife of President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
Botswana held a general election in October 2019. Though it was more competitive than previous elections,it resulted in a victory for the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) and won an addition term for President Mokgweetsi Masisi. Botswana saw an escalation in the rivalry between Masisi and his predecessor Ian Khama,with Khama leaving the Botswana Democratic Party to support the Botswana Patriotic Front and the Umbrella for Democratic Change. Following the BDP's victory,opposition leaders challenged the results of the election.
Thapelo Matsheka is a Motswana politician and economist who served as the Minister of Finance and Economic Development from November 2019 to April 2021. He was elected as the Member of the National Assembly for Lobatse in October 2019. He is a member of the Botswana Democratic Party. Matsheka is the former Managing Director of Fiducia Services.
Tebelelo Mazile Seretse was the first woman to serve as ambassador to the United States from Botswana. While a member of Parliament from 1999 - 2004,she had three Cabinet level positions:Acting Minister of Presidential Affairs,Minister of Trade and Industry,Wildlife and Tourism and Minister of Works,Transport and Communications.
Botswana continued to address the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022,including the discovery of the COVID-19 variant Omicron BA.4 and BA.5,with COVID-19 restrictions being relaxed in October. Continued disputes took place regarding the Botswana–Namibia border,though an open border was established in September. The rivalry between President Mokgweetsi Masisi and his predecessor Ian Khama escalated in 2022,accelerated by firearms charges against Khama and a warrant for his arrest. The government also saw controversy for its support of bills that would grant it additional espionage powers and regulate journalists.
Andrew Maatla Motsomi is a Botswana economist and corporate executive,who serves as the managing director and chief executive officer of Debswana Diamond Company Limited,the largest diamond-mining company in the world,by value. He was appointed to that position in May 2022 on a five-year contract. He assumed office on 1 June 2022.
The History of Botswana includes its pre-state history,its colonial period as the Bechuanaland Protectorate,and its modern history as a sovereign state.
Botswana