By Chinasaokwu Helen okoro
Ahead of Botswana’s October election – tipped to be the most competitive race in its history – opposition leader Duma Boko has hired Canadian lobbying firm Dickens and Madson to help him win the presidency.In an agreement signed on 8 August and seen by The Africa Report, Montreal-based Dickens and Madson will lobby contacts within the governments of the US and UK as well as US agencies to support opposition leader Duma Boko’s efforts to become the president of Botswana.
The firm also proposed to provide media and public-relations services around Boko’s goals and activities and provide lobbying services to him in other countries.
Ari Ben-Menashe, the president of Dickens and Madson, describes Boko as ‘a very educated and knowledgeable man’.’I spent some time with Duma Boko and I think he will be a great leader for his country. We went through a lot of detail with him,’ Ben-Menashe tells the Reporter.
Popular lobbyist for Africa Dickens and Madson is becoming a popular choice for African politicians interested in a presidential bid.
In July, former Kenyan interior cabinet secretary Fred Matiang’i hired the lobbying firm for $250,000 to boost his bid for the 2027 election.In 2019, the firm signed a $6m deal to seek government funds and diplomatic recognition for Sudanese General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemeti, whose forces have been accused of massacring protesters in Khartoum.
Boko, a prominent lawyer and opposition leader in parliament from 2014-2019, has been the head of the opposition Botswana National Front (BNF) since 2010.In the lead-up to the October 2019 elections, the main opposition parties came together and formed the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) coalition.
But despite putting up a strong opposition, President Mokgweetsi Masisi retained his position after his Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) surpassed the 29-seat threshold needed in the national assembly to secure the presidency. UDC alleged vote rigging and unsuccessfully challenged the results in court.
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