A strategic tourism gateway cannot be allowed to deteriorate while Botswana promotes itself as a world-class tourism destination. The deteriorating condition of the Maun–Shorobe road should no longer be treated as an ordinary road-maintenance problem. It has become a matter of tourism development, community welfare, road safety and Botswana’s international image.
The road is one of the principal gateways to the Okavango Delta and Moremi Game Reserve. It also forms part of the wider access network used by tourists travelling towards the wildlife areas of northern Botswana. At the same time, it is a lifeline for communities in Shorobe, Khwai, Sankoyo and Mababe, who depend on it for access to schools, health facilities, markets, employment and essential services.
Yet the condition of the road is becoming increasingly unacceptable. Deep potholes and badly eroded sections force motorists, including safari vehicles, to leave the road and drive on the gravel shoulders. This creates safety risks and increases vehicle damage. For tourists who have travelled thousands of kilometres to experience Botswana’s renowned wildlife and wilderness, their journey should not end with an obstacle course on the road to one of the country’s flagship destinations.
The question is: what can be done when government says there is no money? The answer should be innovative rather than simply waiting for a large capital project. Here are some of the proposals:
First, government should undertake emergency rehabilitation of the worst sections. A relatively modest intervention involving grading, filling potholes, replacing eroded gravel and improving drainage could immediately improve safety. The objective should be to keep the road functional while a longer-term solution is developed.
Second, government should establish a Maun–Shorobe–Khwai–Mababe Road Partnership involving the Ministry responsible for roads, the Ministry responsible for tourism, North West District Council, tourism operators, community trusts and other stakeholders. The road serves all these interests; consequently, its maintenance should not be viewed as government’s responsibility alone.
Third, Botswana’s tourism industry should consider establishing a voluntary road-maintenance contribution mechanism. Safari companies, lodges, camps and other tourism businesses derive direct economic benefits from reliable access to the area. Contributions could be pooled into a transparent fund dedicated exclusively to maintaining strategic tourism access roads.
Fourth, government should examine whether existing road-related revenues, including the Road Fund Levy, can be strategically directed towards maintaining economically important tourism routes. The principle should be simple: roads that generate significant economic activity deserve appropriate maintenance.
Fifth, Botswana should consider phased upgrading rather than waiting until the entire road can be reconstructed or tarred at once. The most damaged and heavily trafficked sections could be prioritised, followed by other sections as resources become available.
There is also an opportunity to create local employment through road maintenance. Community-based contractors from Shorobe, Khwai, Sankoyo and Mababe could be trained and engaged in routine maintenance, vegetation clearing, drainage work and pothole repairs. This would ensure that road investment generates benefits beyond transportation. Most importantly, Botswana needs to recognise that infrastructure is part of the tourism product. Tourists do not experience Botswana only inside game reserves and lodges. They experience the journey to those destinations as well. A world-class tourism destination requires safe and reasonably maintained access infrastructure.
The government may genuinely face financial constraints. But financial constraints should encourage us to ask how we can maintain critical infrastructure more creatively, rather than whether we can afford to do anything. The Maun–Shorobe–Khwai–Mababe road is too important to be allowed to deteriorate until it becomes impassable and then require an expensive emergency intervention. The Ministry responsible for roads, the Ministry responsible for tourism, North West District Council, tourism operators and community organisations should sit around one table and develop an immediate road-maintenance plan. Botswana has invested heavily in building a reputation as a premier wildlife and nature-tourism destination. We must also invest in the roads that take visitors there. Fixing this road is not simply about fixing potholes. It is about protecting tourism, supporting communities, improving road safety and protecting Botswana’s reputation as a destination.
