Systems Thinking Research & Leadership Development Institute (STRLDi)
Strategy Consulting & Corporate Development Training for Learning Organizations
The global attention economy is reshaping employment dynamics, particularly for youth, who increasingly divert their focus from foundational sectors to unstable digital careers. This shift leads to an oversupply of creators, low income stability, and potential societal impacts, threatening essential economic capacities and exacerbating issues like unemployment and mental health crises.
Botswana has faced decades of investment without addressing the structural causes of high unemployment. This study employs systems thinking to highlight key systemic failures in absorbing the workforce, underperforming sectors, and value circulation. Solutions lie in redesigning economic structures for sustainable growth and job creation, challenging existing policies and practices.
The content discusses Botswana’s evolving governance structures amidst economic diversification needs, given a projected population growth to 5-8 million and a GDP target of $60-100 billion. It categorizes the current government into Ministries, Parastatals, and Public-Private Partnerships, emphasizing the distribution of roles for economic growth. The analysis highlights successful manufacturing sectors in other countries, suggesting Botswana could focus on resource-linked manufacturing, such as meat processing and eco-construction materials. A strategic reform for workforce distribution is proposed, with an emphasis on building efficiency and productivity through streamlined governance and targeted training.
The piece reflects on President Duma Boko’s vision for transforming Botswana’s economy from dependency to a performance-driven approach, emphasizing the roles of the public and private sectors in national development. It advocates for a self-sustaining economy founded on STEM capabilities and best practices in governance. Key themes include redefining government’s purpose, empowering the private sector for growth and infrastructure development, and fostering export-oriented industries. The text addresses challenges such as educational misalignment with workforce needs, lack of accountability, and over-reliance on foreign investment. It culminates in a call to action urging collaboration among various stakeholders to revitalize the economy.
Most countries think supply of labour should drive demand. We forget then (or choose not to admit to ourselves) that it is demand that drives supply in any situation. Not the other way around. It is just not realistic to believe that because we have so many ‘young ones’ here, that there should be jobs … Continue reading Regional Article 23: Unemployment, labour disputes, economic diversification and fertility
Systems Thinking Research & Leadership Development Institute (STRLDi) 