Festus Mogae

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Festus Gontebanye Mogae (21 August 1939 – 8 May 2026) was a Motswana economist and politician who served as the third president of Botswana from 1998 to 2008. He previously served as vice-president from 1992 to 1998 and minister of finance and development planning from 1989 to 1998 under Quett Masire. A member of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), he led the party throughout his presidency. Educated at the universities of Oxford and Sussex, Mogae began his career in Botswana's civil service in 1968. He worked in the finance ministry and represented African countries at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) before becoming governor of the Bank of Botswana in 1980. He served as permanent secretary to the president from 1982 to 1989, when he entered Parliament as a specially elected member. He won the Palapye constituency in the 1994 general election. He succeeded Masire on 1 April 1998 and led the BDP to victories in 1999 and 2004. During Mogae's presidency, revenue from diamonds financed...

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