A nation well known for its safari destinations and natural beauty, Botswana is a small country of just over 2.3 million people. It boasts Africa’s oldest continuous democracy and is noted as an upper middle-income country. Botswana is located at the centre of Southern Africa, positioned between Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. One of the world’s poorest countries at independence in 1966, it rapidly became one of the world’s development success stories. With its economy built on a foundation of diamond mining, prudent fiscal policies and international financial and technical assistance, Botswana has now the fourth largest gross national income on the African continent and the highest Human Development Index of the continental Sub-Saharan region. Botswana spends at least US$466 per capita on health with only about 4% of the total health expenditures generated through out-of-pocket payments. This enables access to needed health services without significant financial hardships for a large proportion of the population. These achievements have undoubtedly assisted in Botswana’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, despite various challenges that persist.
