The Role of Scandinavian Aid in the Development of Postcolonial Botswana, 1966-2000

Abstract

This thesis provides a historical account of Botswana-Scandinavian relations. Through its analysis, the thesis will show how the Botswana-Scandinavian bilateral relations do not exemplify aid dependence as argued by scholars of dependency theory. To dependency theorists, bilateral aid is the reason why Africa is swimming in poverty and corruption scandals. This thesis challenges the assertions that aid leads to the underdevelopment of Africa, by showing that there is a direct correlation between foreign aid and economic growth in post-colonial Botswana. The thesis argues that the success of bilateral aid is determined by the discipline of the recipient country and the intentions of the donor country.