Environmental governance and power relations shaping urban solid waste management in Gaborone City, Botswana

The management of urban solid waste is one of the most pressing environmental governance challenges facing sub-Saharan African (SSA) cities, resulting from institutional fragmentation and asymmetrical power relations in the delivery of waste services. This article analyzes how environmental governance structures and power affect solid waste management in Botswana’s Gaborone City. A qualitative case study design informed the data collection for this study, through twenty-five key informant interviews (KIIs) with participants from the national government, Gaborone City Council (GCC), licensed private waste operators, academia, and civil society. Using thematic analysis function of ATLAS.ti 9, five key themes emerged: nature and magnitude of the solid waste challenge; fragmentation of the mandates of various institutions; multiplicity of laws without coordination; asymmetries of power between national level and municipal and private actors; and reform priorities identified by the informant. The research finds that SWM underperformance in Gaborone City is more of a structural governance failure than a technical issue. The study makes a step forward in the city-level, power-relational analysis of SWM governance in an under‑researched SSA context. In addition, the recommendations made are more transferable to the many rapidly urbanizing cities on the periphery of the region’s large agglomerations.