As we prepare to host IDDS D’Kar 2015 in Botswana, it is useful to present a local perspective on what development might mean in an African context and how the value of indigenous knowledge in design might open up new pathways of understanding for our participants.

This is the first post of a 5-part blog series in which I will share some insights into key themes in Botswana around the role of the state, human capital, creativity, wealth creation and historical challenges to development. As Co-founder & CEO of These Hands GSSE and ardent Creative Economy Advocate in Botswana, I will frame 5 pertinent questions for reflection:

• Taking a human-centered approach to development: What can we learn from Botswana?
• Youth, Education, Development: what are the gaps and prospects for the future?
• How can design help Botswana’s cultural and creative industries drive economic development?
• Botswana in the context of Africa’s future wealth potential – How can design help Botswana leap-frog to a multi-local society?
• Can Africa strike the right balance in the 21^st century? Profit AND People-driven development – can we think either/and?
  • This last blog post could also be a short summary of main arguments, linking my work to Merle’s perspectives as well as the potential contribution of IDDS D’kar.

My contribution is supported by Merle O’Brien (@merleobrien), a South African futurist and participant of IDDS D’kar 2015 based at Creation iLab (www.creationilab.com) where she specializes in creativity, design and innovation through indigenous knowledge. She shares her insights on Africa’s potential to amass more wealth in the next 35 years than in all its history. The biggest opportunity here is for design to influence the global value chain of future African innovations – from concept, the design prototype, sourcing raw materials, embedding creative and quality standards of suppliers, the marketing, logistical distribution, retail experiences and service support to the end user. In this way, economies such as Botswana could leapfrog from an agro-industrial economy to a multi-local society driven by a human-centered design approach to technology innovation. It is against this backdrop that the value of IDDS D’Kar 2015 becomes more significant as we begin to recognize the relevance of our design approach at this point in time, in Africa.

The world’s earliest evidence of design can be found in Southern Africa. The stone artefacts, ochre paint pots, beaded shells and weapons found in Blombos Caves in the Western Cape date 100 000 years back. These archeological findings reflect how the earliest humans conceived ways to survive, communicate, express meaning and evolve new ways of doing, thinking, eating, hunting and playing.

It is a paradox that the continent with the world’s oldest design heritage is currently the poorest, yet set to grow faster than any other in the first half of the 21^st century alongside the value of design. It is also humbling to know that the San communities in Botswana have a deep design heritage locked up beneath the foundations of modern thinking. It is as if, through D’Kar, we might return to source to unearth the old, to help us make better sense of the new. It is therefore appropriate that the summit is themed KURU: a Naro word meaning TO DO or TO CREATE.

Blog 1: Taking a Human-centered approach to Development – What can we learn from Botswana?

Before World War II most world states were largely interested in economic growth as the only measure of economic development. After the World War II, prior and during the decolonization of most African states, there was a looming ideology of communism which was quite opposite to the capitalistic view in that it introduced a social welfare or basic needs approach to the realm of economic development. In the 1990’s most countries were undergoing a choice process of either aligning with absolute profit driven economic growth policies for economic development or go with the other absolute social welfare development principles of economic development.

Post the cold war the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which were introduced by the United Nations Development Programme came into play to strike a balance between the two extremes and find synergies. This created space for the interlinked principles of development economics and managerial economics which signal out clearly the role of the state in economic development.

The principles of managerial economics teach us that it exists to ensure that firms and households at micro level are willing and able to produce maximum output which shall ensure maximum profits and maximum satisfaction as the per the demands of the households respectively.

At a macro level the understanding based on the principles of development economics, teach us that it exists to ensure that governments are willing and able to ensure viable industrial growth which will in turn ensure economic growth and maximize social welfare of the households.

The role of economic profit is therefore a very important one, as government depends on profits from firms to ensure economic growth and maximize social welfare. When firms make profits they are willing and able to create employment as they expand, which satisfies the welfare aspect of the government agenda.

These profits of the many firms and that of some that may mushroom from the employment created, result in aggregated tax revenue which satisfies the economic growth agenda as embedded in the principles of development economics. Some of the tax revenue is used to create a harmonious environment to grow the industries and also combat other welfare needs like health care and education (Todaro, M, et al 2006)

The economic profit further satisfies the society’s development through sponsorships and donations that are made by the firms to community based organizations, non-governmental organizations, social enterprises and community trusts as it assists the government agenda of maximizing social welfare and improving wellness.

The role of the State, in an open economy like Botswana, is to ensure sound, informed and sustainable laws and policies in order to ensure a harmonious working environment for industrial growth and job creation which will consequently satisfy the government agenda of having maximum economic growth and social welfare.

The following are some of the elaborate micro and macro level benefits of economic profit that a good state that satisfies its role diligently can ascertain:

•  Rewards and encourages initiative, hard work and risk-taking.
•  Encourages innovation, progress, improvements, efficiency, and technological advancement.
• Encourages scientific exploration and Research and Development to discover new innovations and advancements.
• Encourages new suppliers/businesses to enter the marketplace, thereby creating more competition and diversity of goods and services.
• Provides people with a vast array of goods and services that they want and need.
• Lowers prices and makes goods and services more affordable.
• Creates jobs for citizens and opportunity for immigrants.
• Attracts investment by rewarding banks and individuals that invest in companies and entrepreneurs.
• Creates new capital (retained earnings) that can be used for economic growth and to provide insurance in times of recession.
• Creates wealth and capital for charities, the arts, and good works.

Botswana has since independence experienced great economic growth with the Gross Domestic Product per capita and Purchasing Power Parity (US dollar) in Botswana being last recorded at 4377.56 US dollars and at 14752.70 in 2011 respectively. The GDP per Capita in Botswana is equivalent to 35 percent of the world’s average. However, the social welfare of its people seems not to be matching these positive developments. Based on a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, and standards of living for countries worldwide, Botswana has a Human Development Index of 0.633 and is ranked 98th in the world signifying medium human development for a country of its economic status.

Economic Development exists when a country compared to other comparable countries in the region (Sub Saharan Africa), has managed to grow the economy away from primary industry dependency to one that will be driven by secondary and tertiary industries.

Botswana is performing poorly in economic development as it is still largely dependent on the primary industries of mining and agriculture as her main contributors to economic growth and has failed to develop the secondary and tertiary industries. Moreover, job creation in the private sector is insufficient and to date the government is still the largest employer. The costs of production for the private companies are still too high and they do not have the necessary markets locally and regionally and thus cannot make the necessary profits to create jobs.

Botswana’s National Development Plan goals which are pegged and closely driven by the pillars of her Vision 2016 are to ensure economic growth, reduce poverty and create employment. We can point out that so far Botswana has managed to succeed on the economic growth goal but has failed on the other two based on the 35% unemployment rate of the youth and the relatively low Human Development Index.

Acknowledging these gaps, the government of Botswana is trying to address them with initiatives like the private sector development strategy in partnership with the voice of business being the Botswana Confederation of Commerce, Industry and Manpower (BOCCIM), a youth in business High Level Consultative Council (HLCC) Sector committee that meets with the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture twice every quarter to advice on high level red tapes that hinder industrial growth or opportunities for youth owned businesses, the youth development fund, Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA), a Local Enterprising Authority (LEA), a revived department of cooperatives under the Ministry of Trade and Industry, The Botswana Innovation Hub, Botswana Institute of Technology, Research and Innovation and the National Human Resource Development Strategy which is headed by the Human Resource Development Council to mention a few that have been setup to stimulate this diversification drive.

Through successive development plans since NDP7, the importance of developing Botswana’s human resource capacity has been a first line priority. From a broad range of perspectives such as educational attainment, skills and training, quality of life issues, and the expansion of the labor market, considerable progress has been made. However, a lot still needs to be done to have an educated and informed nation that will actively participate in the economic development of the country. In the next blog post I will present my insights into the themes of youth and education and how they relate to the development of Botswana. I will discuss some of the gaps and strategy’s that the government has initiated to address these, as well as prospects for the future.

Meet the Authors:

Merle is a design futurist at Creation iLab, a start-up transmedia and design innovation lab which serves as a testbed for her doctoral research. She holds a MPhil Future Studies from the University of Stellenbosch Business School, specialising in the future of creativity. She is exploring how the fields of art and science are moving towards a common space and the radical innovation this holds for the confluence of creative lifescience, technology and indigenous knowledge to alter the axis of Africa’s future in sustainable and positive ways.

Thabiso Blak Mashaba (@BlakMashaba), Lead Organiser of IDDS D’Kar 2015