Tshedeki Khama and Mining in Botswana: 1929-1959

Abstract

In 1966 when the Bechuanaland Protectorate became independent as the Republic of Botswana it was counted among the twenty poorest countries of the world. Its Gross Domestic Product at current prices was a mere £30 million. Its per capita income was under £60. Half its public expenditure was financed by Britain, its former colonial ruler. There were no all season roads and there seemed little future for a country that consisted largely of the Kalahari Desert.