North Carolina finds perfect match in Botswana

By Air Force Tech. Sgt. Steve Wilkins
North Carolina National Guard

Honorable Stephen Nolan, the U.S. Ambassador to Botswana, speaks with Army Maj. Gen. William E. Ingram Jr., the adjutant general of the North Carolina National Guard, while recently visiting the Camp Butner Training Site. The ambassador and a delegation from the Botswana Defense Force and Botswana civilian leadership were in North Carolina to participate in a State Partnership Program Workshop between the North Carolina and Botswana.( Photo by Tech. Sgt. Steve Wilkins, North Carolina National Guard)
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Chapel Hill, N.C. (8/20/09) -- State, national and local leaders met this week with officials from Botswana to discuss various issues that may be addressed by a new partnership between North Carolina and the republic of Botswana.

Educators, health experts, administrators, business promoters and tourism experts attended a workshop on the North Carolina-Botswana State Partnership Program here.

The state partnership program is a national program involving all 50 states and 61 countries worldwide. The partnerships start with military to military relationships, progressing into civilian to civilian relationships as time and ties grow.

The program is incubated in partnerships established through the National Guard to develop lasting relationships, ultimately building ties throughout all levels of partners’ respective societies and resulting in a close-knit economic and international security network.

The National Guard is uniquely qualified for this program with a staff that provides continuity and history.

Beyond that, said Army Maj. Gen. William E. Ingram, Jr., the adjutant general of North Carolina, “the Guard is comprised of everyday Americans with the resources to reach out and touch the experts in their local communities.”

He said this capability allows countries like Botswana to tap into resources more deeply and more quickly than had they worked solely through diplomatic channels.

North Carolina entered its relationship with Botswana, its second State Partnership relationship, in February 2008. Since then, delegations from the two countries have made short visits to initiate their relationship.

Stephen Nolan, the U.S. ambassador to the republic of Botswana encouraged interaction using “smart power” to collaborate with the intent to generate real solutions.

Participants discussed healthcare, specifically HIV/AIDS treatment, which is rampant throughout Botswana, but being quickly controlled as statistics bear; initiatives in education, which is a primary interest in North Carolina.

Workshop participants also discussed emergency management. Both North Carolina and Bostwana have concerns with flooding and drought.

Both governments also have similar concerns with encroaching wildlife. For North Carolina, the issue revolves primarily around deer, while in Botswana its elephants.

Throughout the week, it seemed the Botswana representatives projected a country disciplined, sober and prudent in its use of resources and its vision.

“We have a sense that when we receive something, someone has sacrificed their own use of it,” said Segolame Ramotlhwa, project director of HIV-MARPS for the Research Triangle Institute International. “When the country receives assistance from another country, we view it as our responsibility to do as much as possible, the best we can with it.”

But the conversation was more about an exchange of ideas and abilities. Many participants pointed out similarities between the primary industries and economies of North Carolina and Botswana.

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton encouraged a partnership between the economies of Botswana, one of the fastest growing economies in the world, with that of North Carolina, one of the fastest growing economies in the U.S., according to North Carolina Department of Tourism and the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce.

Botswana Defense Force Commander Lt. General T.H.C. Masire reiterated the point, saying the new partners are interested in a skills transfer. His observation was supported later by a speaker who invoked President Barack Obama’s charge for transformational change as we engage other nations.

Already delegations from Botswana visited North Carolina Air National Guard operations during an operational readiness exercise in Wisconsin and Modular Air Fire Fighting System recertification exercises in Tucson Arizona. Botswana is considering use of the system to quell its own wildfires.

During presentations throughout the week, American participants discovered that Botswana, as it works to address its public health challenges, has more hospital beds per capita than any other country on the African continent. The transmission of HIV/AIDS from mother to child has been reduced from 40 to four percent. The Botswana Defense Force is adept at border patrol, through experiences in Sudan, and peacekeeping experiences in countries like Somalia. Finally, Botswana is preparing and presenting world-class athletes for a variety of sports and hosting a 2010 World Cup Soccer match.

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