Botswana acceded to the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in February 2019, making it the 38th AU Member State to take this step. The APRM, Africa’s peer-to-peer governance assessment and promotion tool, was introduced in 2003 and has been accepted and adopted by a majority of countries in the continent. In 2020, civil society organisations (CSOs) in Botswana resolved to tender a written submission from their perspective on key governance issues for the APRM process. CSOs in Botswana thus initially convened in March 2020 to lay a way forward for participation in the APRM process. The Botswana Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (BOCONGO) and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) were at the helm of engagement. The two organisations facilitated the input by local CSOs in unpacking 12 carefully selected key governance issues, through the Botswana APRM Popular Sensitisation (BAPS) Project. Written submissions were then put together by over 35 CSOs that sought to frankly highlight pertinent governance concerns. A notable challenge as the process unfolded was the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected Botswana and the world at large. This pandemic did not only test the resolve of CSOs towards their civic and national duty, but further posed a challenge in the coordination and facilitation of their engagement with the APRM process. It went on to dictate how the entire exercise should be implemented by shifting to online delivery. This new development came with fears and confusion that were coupled with some inertia or resistance towards innovation that the pandemic engendered. In light of the above, this policy insight seeks to explore the invaluable experiences and lessons learnt in Botswana through the APRM. It further highlights challenges faced during the roll out of the APRM process and concludes by selecting key issues that the team experienced in putting together the CSOs final submission.
