Prudent leadership, a highly professional civil service and respect for basic freedoms have made Botswana the envy of its neighbours. Botswana has its problems, however. The centrality of cattle to the local culture, however, has made addressing these issues very difficult. The population of 1.8 million is growing at a worrying rate of 3.4 percent of year, with attendant urbanisation. Revenue from diamonds is flat, growth in the private sector is sluggish and unemployment, both in the rural and urban areas, is a growing problem.
Income distribution is highly skewed.
Politically, Botswana's democracy is often described as paternalistic with considerable power centralised in the political and civil service elite. A Weak Civil Society Botswana's NGO community is small, fairly young and has been somewhat isolated from general NGO trends. The more established groups tend to be located in the capital, although a few groups have recently formed in Maun. The small size and limited effectiveness of the NGO sector is attributable to the unique context in which they operate. The government has been able to accept aid on its own terms because of Botswana's relative prosperity, limiting the influence of international NGOs and the ideas that they transmit.