Brigadier General Christopher Mbaakanyi, right, together with his supervisor Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast
The Motswana military leader brings a wealth of experience to his academic achievement, including participation in United Nations peacekeeping missions, a background in telecommunications and radar engineering, and three master’s degrees in project management (2016), strategic management (2020), and conflict transformation and management (2020).
Bridging theory and practice, his doctoral research was shaped by his deployment in South Sudan, inspiring a systems-based analysis of Botswana’s fragmented and overlapping anti-poverty strategies, policies and programmes.
“Witnessing the realities of conflict and deprivation first-hand shaped my desire to pursue research in rural development and human security, with the aim of contributing to practical structural violence solutions,” he says.
Research focus
Firmly rooted within the Faculty of Humanities’ thematic area of Peace and Security studies, the research approaches poverty not merely as a social struggle, but as a source of violence embedded within society.
“My study establishes that both the state and society bear a responsibility to address structural violence. As Johan Galtung posits, when individuals are deprived of basic needs unnecessarily, despite available resources, this constitutes a form of violence,” Dr Mbaakanyi explains.
The study shifts attention from “negative peace” – the absence of overt conflict – to “positive peace”, which addresses the subtle structural conditions that produce inequality and harm, further legitimising physical intrastate conflicts.
Focusing on the Kweneng East district between 2015 and 2022, and drawing on both statistical data and lived experience, the findings show that disjointed anti-poverty strategies contribute to persistent structural violence. This slows progress toward sustainable peace and the achievement of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 1.
“Better-designed and inclusive strategies can reduce inequality, promote social stability, and foster more inclusive forms of peace,” he says.
Early life
Born in Francistown and raised in the village of Tutume, Dr Mbaakanyi’s early experiences played a formative role in shaping his outlook.
At a young age, he and his elder sister were sent to attend primary school near the Zimbabwean border, where they lived with relatives in a foreign, more demanding environment. The experience required resilience, discipline and independence.
“I vividly recall the influx of refugees crossing into Botswana, fleeing the pursuit of Rhodesian forces. Witnessing this at such a young age left a lasting impression on me,” he recalls.
The early exposure to conflict and human vulnerability cultivated a deep sense of empathy and an enduring commitment to addressing societal challenges.
Military career
Dr Mbaakanyi initially showed strong promise in football, becoming an influential player at school and junior national levels. This led to his recruitment by Notwane Football Club, followed by his transition to the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) football team – a turning point that marked the beginning of his military career.
Despite coming from a relatively peaceful region, his perspective on conflict evolved through participation in peacekeeping missions, where he witnessed the devastating consequences of instability, including human oppression and systemic deprivation.
His deployment in South Sudan, where he served as an Area Operational Commander, proved particularly influential.
“This experience revealed that indeed conflict is inevitable because of the diverging interests in society. Therefore, focusing only on visible manifestations of conflict often overlooks deeper structural drivers such as inequality and deprivation,” he explains.
These insights ultimately shaped his academic direction and strengthened his commitment to contributing both to scholarship and to practical solutions in conflict management.
The PhD journey
Dr Mbaakanyi enrolled in the doctoral programme in 2020 while at the rank of Colonel, balancing demanding professional responsibilities with academic work.
He credits his supervisor, Prof Ntsikelelo Breakfast, for consistent guidance and support, and acknowledges the invaluable contributions of family, friends and volunteers whose insights enriched the study.
“Equally important has been the often unseen but indispensable role of family, the ‘invisible hand’ behind my academic success,” he says.
He also recognises the support of military leadership, which enabled him to pursue further studies despite operational demands.
Reflecting on the milestone, he emphasises the importance of continuous learning.
“This milestone does not mark the end of my perseverance but reinforces the need to continually strengthen knowledge through ongoing research and study.”
A call for systemic change
Dr Mbaakanyi believes military leaders must play a proactive role in advancing peace by identifying systemic risks and supporting policies that address root causes of instability.
This includes shifting focus from traditional security threats to structural challenges such as inequality and social exclusion.
He also argues that policymakers must move beyond fragmented interventions toward integrated governance systems grounded in research, accountability and effective implementation.