The Reverberations of the Covid-19-Hit International Diamond Market on Botswana

Abstract

A semi-desert country in southern Africa, Botswana has historically never had any economic significance – a narrative supported by how the country became a British protectorate in 1885, as opposed to the normal trend at the time of being forced into becoming a colony.

Scholarly discourse of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) and education in Botswana: a scoping review

“…Also, the Minister of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology, Dr Douglas Letsholathebe, has called on young citizens aged between 18 and 21 to participate in the mobile Gov-App hackathon challenge to ensure citizen participation in the 4IR space (The Mid-Week Sun, 2021 ). This is in congruence with the works of Lee et al, ( 2018 ), Gwangwava ( 2019 ), Jaiyeoba & Iloanya ( 2019 ), Makaloba ( 2020 ), Mogomotsi et al, ( 2020 ), as well as Mokeresete & Esiefarienrhe ( 2020 ) which shows that the role(s) of institutions of learning in ensuring that Botswana gets prepared for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is crucial. Mokeresete & Esiefarienrhe ( 2020 ) and Muchuchuti et al, ( 2021 ) further explain that Botswana needs to align itself with skills needed for the 4IR through training to ensure employee alignment with jobs relevant for the era.…”

“…‘The education sector in Botswana is one of the few in the world that is wholly government funded and has the potential to become a key driver of the country’s economy. Investments into the education sector and the information sector can therefore be improved, enabling the country to move towards a knowledge-based economy, as opposed to its current reliance on natural resources’ (Makaloba, 2020 , 64).” This suggests that the role of the education sector of Botswana is crucial. Other discourses on theme 1 include: “Essentially, ‘the pursuit of the knowledge-based economy is a direct and deliberate response to prepare for 4IR’” (Mogomotsi et al, 2020 , 282) This is supported by Lee et al, ( 2018 ) who state that the need to strategically design a workable plan with universities is crucial.…”