2. First Faltering Steps

The transition to independence in other African countries had been made easier by their inheriting existing infrastructure and institutions.

The colonial administration of what had been Bechuanaland before becoming Botswana at independence had actually been in Mafeking, across the border in South Africa.

As a result, not only was Botswana lacking conventional infrastructure, very few roads were paved, and none of the arterial roads in entirety, but also the skills and education necessary for any economy to prosper.

The new capital, Gaborone, pronounced Haborani in the local language, but known to one and all as plain old Gabs, was being built entirely from scratch, save only from being on the existing railway line linking Cape Town to the rest of the continent, In terms of national manpower, Botswana started life with a few well-qualified and highly competent citizens to man the top positions in government, and various training programs had been set up to create in time a wide range of skills and professional expertise.

But with an inevitable delay before this pipeline was to produce the required manpower among the local people, expatriates and even poorly qualified ones like me were welcomed into the country to get things going.