Developing strategic partnerships for national development: a case of Botswana

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore how libraries and information centres can play a key role in national development through strategic working partnerships with government and other stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach - The paper is based on literature review and practical examples. Findings - The paper finds that Botswana Government has formulated Maitlamo policy for the development of public libraries and through this policy partnerships have been established by the African comprehensive HIV/AIDS partnerships through the Sesigo project. Another partnership has been between parastatal organisations such as Botswana Technology Centre and Botswana National Library Services. Originality/value - The paper suggests the potential areas of partnerships that include community development, youth development, music and sports, cultural activities and indigenous knowledge.