President Bush To Visit Botswana

by Robert Lee, Tax-News.com, London

02 July 2003

In a move widely believed to signal Washington's recognition of Botswana as a model African state, US ambassador to the United Nations, Andrew Young, recently announced President Bush's intention to visit the country some time in the next year.

Young was speaking at the annual UB Foundation fund-raising dinner held on June 20, and stated that the President's motivation for the trip was because "there is something here worth the visit." Mr Bush had previously planned a trip to the southern African state in January 2003, but this was postponed as international events, particularly in the Middle East, gathered pace.

Botswana has been noted for its stable political institutions and 36 year track record of democratic government. Combined with sensible economic management, this makes the country stand out as something of a rarity in the African continent. Young summarised the country's success by describing Botswana as "a talented team in Africa that is clever enough to make good use of its wealth."

Botswana's international reputation has been further enhanced recently after the World Economic Forum (WEF) ranked the nation as the least corrupt African country. The result was based on the opinions of business leaders from the 21 countries included in the survey, on factors such as the rule of law, enforcement of contracts and the perception of corruption.

Fiona Paua, economist with the WEF concluded: "The index is a very important component of our assessment of a country's competitiveness and overall prospects for economic growth."

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