Towards A Community Involvement Framework for Remote Area Communities in Botswana (Published)
The overarching aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which remote area communities can be involved in Botswana. Specifically, the study examined how the Khwai community could be actively engaged in social and economic development efforts that address their livelihood, needs and interests. The ultimate aim of this investigation will be to provide strategic consultation which would align community tasks with predetermined goals and missions for the Basarwa community in the Khwai village in Botswana where data for this study was collected through face-to-face interviews which were administered through a semi-structured questionnaire. The following recommendations are made by this study: (1) There is a need for an inclusive participation of community members and, as such, the introduction of appropriate communication approaches or consultation methods is imperative (2) There are financial benefits which contribute to the sustainability of livelihoods; these are attained through natural resources (wildlife), which result from the people of Khwai’s community involvement with their local environment (3) A market for the tourism products for the Khwai community is needed since the research established that the community have an insignificant benefits in their local area (4) The paper further recommends community capacity building, since the community has now been introduced to commercial life.
Keywords: Community Participation, Development Communication, Governance, consultations, engagement, involvement, strategic communication