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Introduction
The last episode of this treatise examined democracy as a vehicle to poverty reduction and later examined the idea that good governance is a sine quo non to poverty reduction. This week, we shall continue with our last discussion and later take a look at key governance indicators and poverty reduction. Thereafter, we shall consider Good Governance and Poverty Reduction: The Bostwana Example, with emphasis on Constitutional Setting and Separation of Powers; A Decentralised and Consultative Governance System; Accountability, Transparency and Good Governance; and The Roles of Non-State Actors. We shall then conclude by asserting that good governance cannot be divorced from good leadership. Enjoy.
GOOD GOVERNMENT IS A SINE QUA NON IN POVERTY REDUCTION (Continues)
In developing nations like Nigeria, where satisfying basic necessities of life is still a challenge, the definition of governance has taken an inclusive form. Good governance thus includes effective participation in public decision-making and management by citizens, accountability, legitimacy, transparency, the rule of law, and an open and enabling environment for addressing socio-economic problems. This requires participatory democracy and capacity by governments to respond to the demands of development. The emphasis should be on open governance, as participatory government is not sufficient condition for good governance. Expression of citizen demands, whether for services, accountability, or transparency, is futile without a government willing and able to listen and respond. A democracy without effective administrative capacity is an empty shell. As such, good governance is not only about providing an open and free political atmosphere; it also requires a government with the capacity to raise the standards of living and quality of life of the people (Adesida, Olugbenga (2001) “Governance in Africa: The Role for Information and Communications Technologies”. Economic Research Papers, No. 65.).
Key Governance indicators and poverty reduction
Since the mid 1990s the World Bank has published several reports and developed sets of governance indicators all with the theme “governance matters” (World Bank (2007). Governance. http://go/worldbank.org/). Amongst the key indicators of governance are; respect for human rights and basic freedoms, regular free and fair elections, the separation of powers as checks and balances; decentralised government structures, free political organizations, a free media, existence of civil society, and existence of watchdog institutions such as anti-corruption, auditor general, ombudsperson, civilian control of the armed forces, all emphasizing accountability and transparency and central values and standards of behaviour.
The good performance on these indicators indicates that the citizens do participate in the affairs of their nation and in the process have trust in their leaders to protect their rights. A citizen who lives in a country where these indicators are observed and applied feels empowered. Such empowerment at a political level leads to self realization and actualisation – capability development that reduces poverty and increases personal growth and responsibility. To this end, we will examine these indicators using Botswana as a case study.
GOOD GOVERNANCE AND POVERTY REDUCTION: THE BOSTWANA EXAMPLE
Constitutional Setting and Separation of Powers
Botswana has a comprehensive Constitution which enshrines the bill of rights and freedoms. The Constitution has been consistently applied and respected. Modifications on the Constitution have been minimal and in almost all cases have been meant to extend rather than constrain citizens’ democratic rights and freedoms (See generally David Sebudubudu, The impact of good governance on development and poverty in Africa: Botswana – A relatively successful African initiative; African Journal of Political Science and International Relations Vol. 4(7), pp. 249-262, October 2010). For instance, the major reforms were effected in 1997 and they successfully enabled the voting age to be lowered from 21 years to 18 years, allowed citizens residing outside the country at the time of elections to vote through the system of postal voting; limited the term of office of the president to two terms of five years and established an independent electoral commission thereby removed that office from the office of the president.
The second significant Constitutional reforms were in 2001 where Sections 77 and 78 of the Constitution which referred to some ethnic groups as major and gave them preference in the membership of the second house of parliament – the house of chiefs, was changed after extensive consultation. The Constitutional reforms so far have enhanced democratic governance.
A Decentralised and Consultative Governance System
Botswana has an elaborate decentralised system of government. Four local institutions of local councils, district/town administration, tribal administration and land boards all enjoy delegated authority from central government. Of the four, the local councils are the directly elected representative local authority responsible for the provision of primary education, primary health care, local water supply and general development at local level. The other three local institutions play specialised functions such as customary and judicial function in the case of tribal administration, land allocation by the land boards and co-ordination of central government departments and representation of the latter at local level by the district administration.
Below the four local institutions are a myriad of non-governmental organizations, village level committees and other community based organizations whose overall role is to promote local development. Through the ministry of finance and development planning (MFDP) Botswana has developed a culture of participation, consultation and consensus building in the development of national development plans (NDP). The development of the plan involves consultation from the village level, district to national levels. It also involves consultations with the private sector, civil society and key international partners operating in the country.
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Similarly, members of parliament and ministers have established an elaborate culture of consultation and report back on proceedings of parliament, new legislative initiatives and other issues of national importance. Major political reforms that require Constitutional amendment have been conducted through national referenda such as in 1997 when the independent electoral commission, the voting age and the term of office of the president were changed. In fact in 2002 the Speaker of Parliament started a programme known as “Bringing Parliament to the People” where he went around the country explaining what had been discussed in Parliament and how the parliament functions.
Accountability, Transparency and Good Governance
Impact on human development Botswana has a broad framework of third generation or what has been dubbed “watchdog institutions” in the form of the anti-corruption body, the ombudsman, the independent electoral commission and the relatively elaborate and independent media. The Constitution also empowers the auditor general, accountant general and the parliamentary committees to inspect and report on the state and use of public accounts in all government departments and parastatal organizations. Apart from ensuring the observance of all laws relating to the use of public funds, the Auditor General has the duty to ensure that all necessary precautions are put in place and any improprieties are reported to parliament. In addition to the office of the auditor general, there is the internal audit unit in the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP). The unit which “is an integral part of the ministry’s management and control of the public finances acts to ensure that public finances are properly accounted for and utilised for the purposes authorised.” (See Republic of Botswana, 1991: 482).
Along with this reasonable level of stable democracy has come a low level of corruption. Since 1995, Transparency International (TI) has consistently considered and ranked Botswana to be the least corrupt country in Africa in its Corruption Perception Index (CPI) as shown in Figure 1 (See Transparency International, 2007 http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2007). However, in 2025, Boswana was ranked as the 3rd least corrupt country in Sub-Saharan Africa, trailing only Seychelles and Cabo Verde. (See https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/botswana). The case of Botswana illustrates that there is a positive relationship between governance and corruption control hence the need for countries especially in Africa to embrace and apply it. The CPI is a measure of corruption or lack therefore. The lowest score of 1 indicates the highest level of corruption while 10 indicates the lowest case of corruption. Globally the least corrupt countries are mainly the Scandinavian countries followed by a few in the developed countries. However as Figure 1 shows over the period 2002 and 2007 Botswana has not only consistently been above 5 points but it has also been among the best in Africa scoring better than her SADC middle income neighbours of South Africa, Mauritius, Namibia and Seychelles. Over the six-year period, Botswana’s average CPI has been 6, thus showing one of the least corrupt countries in the world.
Thus, Botswana recognizes the importance of combating corruption for the country to continue to attract foreign direct investment and thus create jobs and in turn reduce poverty and improve people’s lives. And to this extent, the country has established its anti-corruption agency, the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC), and has declared zero tolerance to corruption. Corruption is perceived as a development issue that diverts resources from the good course to serve short term selfish interests of the corrupt person. In this way, combating corruption is essential to reduce overtly in that safety nets and other forms of assistance can reach the poor without being diverted to the non poor (Sebundudu, op cit).
The Roles of Non-State Actors
The existence of a free media and civil society are additional but key indicators of an open and democratic society. Although this is an area where many citizens may feel that state control has been rather strong as in limiting the operations of trade unions, private media and adopting a cynical attitude to civil society groups, the law nevertheless allowed these players to exist. In fact both the media and civil society groups have grown in strength and have successfully been able to advocate for better performance by the state in matters of human rights, anticorruption, women and children’s rights and media freedom. The fact that a number of individuals and organisations have over the years taken the state to court and won some such cases point to the trust that the civil society has on the independence of the judiciary.
CONCLUSION
The following can be shifted from the discourse above:
1.Good governance cannot be divorced from good leadership
2.That reduction in the level of poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa will only result from practical applications of the concepts and tenets of good governance
3. The Republic Botswana is a shining example in good governance and poverty reduction and its model should be studied and applied by other countries in Africa.
4. For human development to take place, the leadership of Sub-Saharan African countries must be above board with regards to corruption and other anti-development vices
5. Sub-Saharan Africa can reduce poverty and engender development when good governance becomes a norm for its leaders and citizenry. (The end).
Thought for the week
“Strong government doesn’t mean simply military power or an efficient intelligence apparatus. Instead, it should mean effective, fair administration – in other words, good governance.” – Raghuram Rajan
