Effectiveness of Botswanaʹs policy on rural electrification

Rural areas, the world over, are characterised by low levels of connectivity to electrical energy, despite the fact that electricity has been universally acknowledged as one of the most important propellant for community and national development. Botswana is not immune to this trend. Consequently, available evidence puts the overall level of electrical connectivity in Botswana rural areas to just 12%. A plethora of factors are responsible for inhibiting high levels of access to electrical energy by rural communities. Some major impediments often cited as causing ineffective energy provision to rural-based communities include, among others, the following: a) geographical set-ups of the concerned communities; (b) inappropriately conceived energy policies; (c) low-income status of most rural inhabitants. This paper, therefore, examines Botswanaʹs policy on energy supply with the view to confirm or deny any correlation between the above factors and the low-levels of electrical connectivity in the countryʹs rural communities, as well as many others that may have impacted on this state of affairs. The policy is evaluated by undertaking a comparative study of its implementation on two seemingly geographical contrasting rural communities within the country.