 Botswana, an economic miracle. From second poorest country to fastest growing economy in the world. Botswana in southern Africa was the second poorest nation in the world after achieving independence from Great Britain in 1966. There were just 12 kilometers of paved roads in the entire nation, despite it having a territory roughly the same size as Spain. His people were largely uneducated and there were no universities, hospitals, or other educational institutions. Only 22 persons, even within the small educated population, had graduated from college and only roughly a hundred more had completed high school. The majority of the populace relied solely on cattle herding and subsistence farming because the nation lacked a formal economy. But five decades later Botswana stands out as one of the most astonishing success stories in economic development. How did Botswana achieve this status? How did its economy undergo such a miracle? And how did it change? Stay with Africa Reloaded to the end to discover how. Today Botswana is the greatest producer of gem diamonds in the world and one of the few middle-income nations in sub-Saharan Africa. According to a recent estimate, Botswana's GDP per capita is just over 18,500 dollars, ranking it above Brazil and Iran and with nations like Mexico and Turkey. The least corrupt nation in Africa, Botswana, scored higher than South Korea, Italy, and China on the most recent Transparency International Corruption Perception Index. In addition to having the longest-running multiparty democracy in Africa, Botswana is also among the continent's most tolerant and tranquil nations. There are many reasons why Botswana has been successful, but one of the most crucial ones was the visionary leadership of Sir Sarets Kama, the country's first president, who was portrayed by British Nigerian actor David Oilo in the 2060 movie A United Kingdom. Sir Sarets Kama catapulted to international celebrity after the public scandal that followed his marriage to his English bride Ruth Williams. Sir Sarets Kama was born the heir to the throne of the most powerful royal family in what was then known as the British Protectorate of Bekwanaland. The Union was rejected both domestically and internationally, first by Kama's own family and then by the government of the Union of South Africa, which shared a border with Bekwanaland and supported apartheid. Bekwanaland was a British protectorate, not a British colony, hence it was still officially ruled by the native Bekwanaland rulers rather than the British Crown, unlike nations like Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria, and so by going against his family's wishes, Sir Sarets Kama was put in his political future at serious risk. Even if the majority of Kama's kinsmen finally came to accept the Union, the geopolitical fallout would be much more challenging to overcome. The South African government was strongly opposed to an interracial couple holding such a significant position in a huge country immediately across the northern border because it had outlawed interracial marriages in 1949. Sir Sarets Kama and his wife Ruth are forbidden from entering South African territory. The South African government acts swiftly. The city of Mafeking, which at the time served as the administrative center of Bekwanaland, was also included in the prohibition. Additionally, the South Africans petitioned the British authorities to deny Sir Sarets Kama his birthright to the position of chief of one of the most powerful tribes in Bekwanaland. Britain cannot afford to risk severing ties with South Africa, which was its main supply of inexpensive gold and uranium during World War II, given the labor-led government of Prime Minister Clement Atley's dead load. The British government undertook a judicial inquiry, which finally found that Chana would have been ideal for leadership except for his tragic marriage, despite receiving harsh criticism from numerous pressure organizations. After Sir Sarets Kama renounced the throne, Kama and his wife were subsequently exiled from the patronal and in 1951. In 1956, however, the copper was allowed to return by attempting to settle as regular citizens. Kama then returned to politics in 1961 when he founded the patronal and democratic party. His exile and renunciation of the throne had raised his profile among ordinary people, and he was elected Prime Minister of Bekwanaland. With Sir Sarets Kama serving as its first president, Bekwanaland became the independent Republic of Botswana on September 30, 1966 under the leadership of President Kama. Kama quickly started to work on what would ultimately be remembered as one of the most amazing economic reform initiatives in modern African history since his newly independent country was in dire need of basic utilities and severely poor. Building an economy centered on the three primary resources of the nation, copper, diamonds, and cattle, was the foundation of Kama's strategy to restructure Botswana. Kama's administration would be an exception to the trend, whereas many other newly independent African nations would go on to see the resources become more of a curse than a blessing due to greed, corruption, and tribal infighting. Sir Sarets says economic policies would go against the Marxist consensus in the majority of Africa's newly independent governments, including Kwamein, Krumuzgana, and Sikutere's Guinea, in addition to establishing a very strong judicial and legislative system with adequate checks and balances. In his administration, practicality would take precedence over idealism and business-friendly policies like low-corporate and income taxes and import tariffs would be implemented. Kama was resolved to create a country where character and talent rather than skin color would be the main determining factor for achievement and opportunity despite sharing a border with the overtly racist regimes of South Africa and Rhodesia. Kama's government repeatedly stated that it would continue to employ foreign workers until the local population was sufficiently educated and skilled to compete for the same jobs, despite being under intense political pressure to forcibly replace all foreign civil service employees with native-born citizens, regardless of skill levels. Additionally, Kama hired a number of policy advisors and invited foreign mining corporations to explore his territory for additional minerals. As more copper, nickel, and coal deposits were found, the government's revenue significantly increased. In 1969, the Botswana government and the De Beers mining firm established a joint venture that is now known as the Debswana mining company. The Botswana government raised its ownership in the company over the course of the following five years from 15% to a full 50%. It is also said to have secured a profit-sharing arrangement under which the government received 70% of the proceeds from every $1 in sales of Botswana diamonds. By the middle of the 1970s, Botswana's mining industry was bringing in so much money that the country's government was maintaining a budget surplus. Botswana had the fastest growing economy in the world between 1960 and 1980, and the Kama administration successfully invested its income in developing the nation's infrastructure and establishing free hospitals, public schools, and universities thanks to a productive and largely corruption-free civil service. The government built slaughterhouses, subsidized the care of livestock, and created cattle ranches in order to support the growth of the meat industry. The Botswana Meats Commission was established as the nation's single entity in charge of setting pricing and marketing beef to domestic and foreign markets. Additionally, Kama personally negotiated a lucrative trade agreement with the European Economic Community that allowed Botswana to sell cattle to Europe at a price above the global average. As economic development was karma's main priority, Botswana initially only allocated a small fraction of its national budget to military expenses. The Botswana Defense Force was established in 1977 to act as the nation's main armed force. However, this was in response to recurrent threats of invasion by South African or Rhodesian forces. The goal of Botswana's foreign policy has always been to maintain neutrality and limit the use of force to self-defense. Nevertheless, Sarets Kama would be crucial in the discussions that led to the end of the Rhodesian Bush War and the establishment of Zimbabwe as an independent country. In addition, he played a key role in the formation of the Southern African Development Coordination Conference, which later developed into the Southern African Development Community, the foremost intergovernmental organization promoting economic cooperation among the 16 African nations of Southern Africa. The Botswana Democratic Party, which was in power under Kama's administration, went on to triumph in three elections in 1969, 1974, and 1979. A little over a year after winning his third election, Sarets Kama was sadly afflicted with pancreatic cancer. He passed away while in office on July 13, 1980, and was succeeded by his vice president, Kwet Mazair. Even after his terrible death in Akoma, Ayan Kama, his son, became the fourth president of Botswana in a landslide victory 20 years after the tragic end to his tenure. Despite the fact that his accomplishments may never receive the same amount of acclaim as those of other well-known African leaders, including South Africa's Nelson Mandela, Sarets Kama would always be remembered and honored by the people of Botswana as one of the greatest statesmen the nation has ever produced, comparable to Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah or Burkina Faso's Thomas Sankara.