Botswana’s President Duma Boko has made digitalization a strategic pillar of his governance. For the head of state, digital transformation is not merely a technological option, but an indispensable lever for reducing waste, improving transparency, and modernizing public services. “If we rely on technology, we will significantly limit waste. That is the first thing that matters to us,” he declared during a meeting with the World Bank Group.
This vision is rooted in a lucid diagnosis of the Botswana administration’s weaknesses. The president acknowledged that the government suffers from “excessive bureaucracy” that hinders efficiency and responsiveness.
Digitalization is presented as the solution to make the state more agile, more transparent, and closer to its citizens. Duma Boko aims to implement electronic public procurement and online services that are simple and fast to access, in order to eliminate queues and administrative bottlenecks.
The president’s digital ambition extends beyond mere administrative modernization.
He sees digitalization as a means of strengthening citizens’ trust in their institutions. “Many of the doubts and apprehensions people have stem from a lack of information. When people do not have access to information, they begin to speculate and become vulnerable to fake news,” he emphasized. Technology must enable more open and transparent communication with the public.
The government has set an ambitious target: to digitalize the economy within three years a challenge that requires reforming laws and removing bureaucratic obstacles.
Short-term investments are already planned to develop quality services in e-health and e-education. Digitalization is also seen as a tool to combat corruption, by ensuring greater traceability and openness of processes.
By making digitalization the “anchor point” of economic transformation, Duma Boko charts the path toward a more efficient and transparent Botswana, where technology becomes the vector for better governance and sustainable development.
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