Botswana’s Novel Approaches for Knowledge-Based Economy Facilitation

Author(s):  
Kelvin Joseph Bwalya

The Vision 2016, which is a set of strategic plans desired to position Botswana at the completive edge of the socio-economic hierarchy in Africa, is being implemented with concerted efforts from both the private and the public sector, including ordinary citizens. One of the major motivations for drawing this strategy has been the desire to transform Botswana from a resource and industry-based (e.g. agriculture and diamond mining) to knowledge-based economy. This has come from the realisation that in order to compete favourably at a global scale, there is need to put in place efficient knowledge value chains. To this course, several initiatives have been devised and/or implemented by both the government and the public sector. This article surveys the fundamental concepts on which this paradigm shift is hinged and brings out the different issues, initiatives and policies (such as Information and Communications Technology development, nurturing of an appropriate human resource base by way of strategic human resource development plans, investment in intellectual capital, etc.) that have been done so far in Botswana. The article, however, does not claim that it offers a compendium of existing programs towards a knowledge-based economy initiated by Botswana. The article posits that although significant strides have been scored in Botswana’s efforts towards a knowledge-based economy, a lot more needs to be done if it were to compete favourably at an international stage.

Author(s):  
Kelvin Joseph Bwalya

The Vision 2016, which is a set of strategic plans desired to position Botswana at the completive edge of the socio-economic hierarchy in Africa, is being implemented with concerted efforts from both the private and the public sector, including ordinary citizens. One of the major motivations for drawing this strategy has been the desire to transform Botswana from a resource and industry-based (e.g. agriculture and diamond mining) to knowledge-based economy. This has come from the realisation that in order to compete favourably at a global scale, there is need to put in place efficient knowledge value chains. To this course, several initiatives have been devised and/or implemented by both the government and the public sector. This article surveys the fundamental concepts on which this paradigm shift is hinged and brings out the different issues, initiatives and policies (such as Information and Communications Technology development, nurturing of an appropriate human resource base by way of strategic human resource development plans, investment in intellectual capital, etc.) that have been done so far in Botswana. The article, however, does not claim that it offers a compendium of existing programs towards a knowledgebased economy initiated by Botswana. The article posits that although significant strides have been scored in Botswana’s efforts towards a knowledge-based economy, a lot more needs to be done if it were to compete favourably at an international stage.


Author(s):  
Kelvin Joseph Bwalya

Botswana is keen to position itself as a knowledge-based economy as early as 2016 due to the realisation that to compete on a global scale, efficient knowledge value chains must be put in place, which includes indigenous knowledge management systems. This realisation is primarily caused by falling demand in the price of diamonds (due to the world’s recession), which is the country’s current economic mainstay. Today, Botswana is pushing for further economic liberalisation and diversification by employing and encouraging novel frontiers of knowledge with emphasis placed on research and efficient knowledge management as a vital resource for national development. In Botswana, the role of scientific and technical knowledge is being emphasized as the main driver of sustainable development, but not forgetting the potential contribution of indigenous and mythological knowledge to this aim. Several initiatives have been devised or implemented by both the government and the public sector to position Botswana as a knowledge-based economy. This paper surveys the fundamental concepts on which this paradigm shift is based and brings out the different initiatives that have been undertaken while emphasizing the role of research and efficient knowledge management paradigms in shaping Botswana as a knowledge-based economy.


Author(s):  
Taruna Ramesur

With the aim of becoming a cyber island and making Information and Communications Technology (ICT) one of the main pillars of the economy, the government of Mauritius has been investing huge sums of money in ICT projects. For instance, in 2009 ICT investments accounted for 5.7% of the total share of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Given this situation, it becomes crucial to evaluate ICT investments, and as such, the main aim of this paper is to investigate the existing methods used in the evaluation of ICT investments in the public sector and propose a framework for the evaluation process. The main contribution of this work lies in the fact that evaluation of ICT projects in the public sector has remained an unexplored area, and even in the context of the private sector, most studies have concentrated on developed countries. The main results from the survey carried out in the 22 ministries reveal that Payback Period (PB) and Accounting Rate of Return (ARR) are the main financial criteria used for the evaluation. The survey also shows that the major factors, which are prioritised during evaluation process, are the relevant costs, risks, and benefits. Based on the research findings, this chapter also proposes a framework for evaluating investments in ICT projects by the public sector.


Author(s):  
Mojtaba Valibeigi ◽  
Ahmad Mohammadi ◽  
Mojgan Valibeigi

The knowledge-based firms can both flourish and grow and stimulate employment and economic growth. Iranian Knowledge-based firms’ protection law is the protection of small and medium knowledge-based firms which are at their elementary steps of growth and don’t have enough attraction to investors. Knowledge-based firms’ protection law in Iran faces to serious challenges that causes this law will not reach to its aim, same as the other protection laws for reducing unemployment and increasing the economic growth. The aim of the study is investigating of structural challenges of knowledge-based firms in Iran. First challenge is about the definition of these kind of firms which weren’t designed in accordance to demand and the knowledge economy and the learner's economy has been ignored. Second challenge is related to performance mechanisms in financial support and providing the facilities for these kind of firms, which reveals the weakness of mechanisms against the economic surplus and corruption. These challenges caused gaps including the weakness of needed mechanisms for the illegal subsidy banning, dependent situation of the innovation and prosperity fund, Khosoulati pressures, enterprise approach of the government, governmental inter-authority competition and the weakness of participant attraction of the public and private organizations that hinder the movement towards a knowledge-based economy.


Author(s):  
Kelvin Joseph Bwalya

Botswana is keen to position itself as a knowledge-based economy as early as 2016 due to the realisation that to compete on a global scale, efficient knowledge value chains must be put in place, which includes indigenous knowledge management systems. This realisation is primarily caused by falling demand in the price of diamonds (due to the world’s recession), which is the country’s current economic mainstay. Today, Botswana is pushing for further economic liberalisation and diversification by employing and encouraging novel frontiers of knowledge with emphasis placed on research and efficient knowledge management as a vital resource for national development. In Botswana, the role of scientific and technical knowledge is being emphasized as the main driver of sustainable development, but not forgetting the potential contribution of indigenous and mythological knowledge to this aim. Several initiatives have been devised or implemented by both the government and the public sector to position Botswana as a knowledge-based economy. This paper surveys the fundamental concepts on which this paradigm shift is based and brings out the different initiatives that have been undertaken while emphasizing the role of research and efficient knowledge management paradigms in shaping Botswana as a knowledge-based economy.


2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
Maniam Kaliannan

The quest to improve the government service delivery is becoming an important agenda for most governments. The introduction oflCT in the public sector especially E-Government initiatives opens up a new chapter in the government administration throughout the world. Governments have deployed ICT to serve their citizens in an efficient and effective manner. This paper presents an empirical investigation of Malaysian government's e-Procurement initiative (locally known as e-Perolehan). The aim of the paper is to examine factors that influence the current and future use of the system within the supplier community. These factors are grouped in three perspectives, (i) organizational perspective; (ii) technological perspective; and (Hi) environmental perspective. The general consensus amongst both the buyer and seller communities is that e-procurement will become an important management tool to enhance the performance of supply chain especially in the public sector. However, before this occurs, the findings suggest that several issues must be addressed by the relevant authorities in light of the three perspectives as mentioned above, to improve the procurement process at the federal government level.


1998 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 222-226
Author(s):  
Adelaide Maria Coelho Baěta

This paper examines the significance of the technology incubator in Brazil's transition from an industrial to a knowledge-based economy. The author examines how incubators can contribute to technology development and enterprise creation, stressing their ability to provide a two-way flow of information between higher education institutions and the private sector, breaking down the mutual distrust that has often hindered the successful exploitation of R&D in the past. The author discusses both the learning needs of companies and the ways in which universities need to change to adapt to the demands of the new knowledge society, placing this analysis in the context of how incubators can be organized to function efficiently. In illustration, she provides the working example of the Biominas Incubator in the state of Minas Gerais.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 352
Author(s):  
Alex Oguso ◽  
Francis M. Mwega ◽  
Nelson H. Wawire ◽  
Purna Samanta

<p><em>Kenya needs substantial and sustained fiscal consolidation to create fiscal space for financing the government’s election pledges, the Vision 2030 development projects, and sustainable development goals. However, the government has found it hard to sustain its fiscal consolidation attempts. This study investigates the fiscal consolidation constraints that act through the budget imbalance dynamics in Kenya using the </em><em>Olivera-Tanzi effect approach.</em><em> The study covers the period 2000-2015</em><em> using time series data and employs three </em><em>Auto-regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) error correction models</em><em> in the analysis. The study showed that a </em><em>rise in the general price levels in the economy, adjustment of minimum wages, rise</em><em> in perceived levels of corruption in the public sector and the political budget cycles (occurrence of a general election) worsen the budget imbalances (deficits) thus </em><em>constrain fiscal consolidation efforts in Kenya. The study also demonstrated that </em><em>budget imbalance dynamics in Kenya could partly be explained by the Olivera-Tanzi proposition. </em><em>The study rec</em><em>ommends measures to reduce the fiscal imbalance gap in Kenya, which include controlling both supply and demand side inflationary pressure and dealing with rent seeking behavior in the public sector.</em></p>


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