Abstract:
Botswana is faced with many challenges of project implementation. Since independence
detailed projects and programmes were initiated, with limited and often less developed
state capacity to implement them. This study focuses on challenges of project
implementation in Botswana’s tier of local government. A qualitative case research
method approach was employed to undertake the study. Telephonic interviews were
conducted with politicians and employees from Francistown City Council (FCC)
and Kweneng District Council (KDC) and data was analysed using thematic analysis.
The paper outlines project implementation challenges in Local Authorities (LA). For
instance, lack of capacity, lack of commitment by the District Development Committee
(DDC), poor stakeholder engagement and lack of financial autonomy by councils. Some
of the identified implementation challenges are not peculiar to the two LAs but cuts
across local authorities in Botswana. However, low human capacity in local authorities
was cited as a major problem in project implementation.
