President Ian Khama stepped down as Botswana’s leader on Saturday in a smooth power transfer deal aimed at underscoring his statesmanship and the country’s stability.
Reuters reported that the 65 year old son of Botswana’s first president, Seretse Khama, handed over power to his 55 year old deputy, Mokgweetsi Masisi who will rule the country until next elections in 2019.
Masisi served as Minister of Education since 2014, and previously he was Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration from 2011 to 2014.
During his swearing in speech, Masisi promised to tackle unemployment and various other problems currently plaguing the diamond rich country.
“Botswana faces a myriad of challenges, such as unemployment, poverty, crime, HIV/AIDs, alcohol and drug abuse, amongst others,” he said.
“Therefore, my top priorities as a president of this country will be to address the problem of unemployment, especially among the young people who constitute the majority of our population.”
