Abstract:

Botswana is a landlocked, politically stable, democratic and growing steady economically. It gained its independence from the British in September 1966 and in the subsequent years gained a distinction for the fastest growth in per capita income in the world. This led to the country being upgraded to an Upper Middle Income Country (UMIC) in 2007. Together with the support of aid from the British government and aid from other countries after independence, the discovery of diamonds in 1967 also contributed significantly to the country’s economic growth rate. The country’s performance has consistently reflected good governance, political stability and leadership committed to strong institutions and development over the years. This study is to determine if there has been a change between the government of Botswana and its development partners since its upgrading. The results of the study indicated that the relationship between Botswana and the United Nations (UN) as one of the development partners has not changed significantly since Botswana’s upgrading to an Upper Middle-Income Country. It however emerged that the level of financial and human resource assistance has tapered down significantly. The study revealed that there is significant confidence in Botswana’s ability to attain its National Development Agenda despite the inability to clearly articulate its new priorities as an Upper Middle Income Country. It was recommended that Botswana align its development priorities to its new status as a UMIC status and initiate platforms and forums to clearly communicate these priorities. This will assist in the transformation of the relationship to a more mature collaborative relationship.

Keywords: United Nations, Upper-Middle-Income-Country, National Development Agenda, good governance, economic growth, diamonds revenue, Development Partners, National Development Plans, Sustainable Development Goals, Implementing Partners.

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