Who is Obed Ramotswe from The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and what is their importance?

Obed Ramotswe is Precious's adored and respected father, a forward thinking miner-turned-cattle rancher from whom Mma Ramotswe inherited not only the money that made it possible for her to achieve her independence, but also her wisdom, her capacity for compassion and hard work, and her sense of perspective. Rra Ramotswe's presence is constantly in his daughter's life, for reasons that are clearly defined in the narrative's extended first person narration of his experiences (see Chapter 2), in repeated references to Mma Ramotswe's recollections of him, and in the reference to his photograph on her mantelpiece (see Chapter 12). Without actually saying so, the narrative suggests that the various men in Mma Ramotswe's life are all judged according to guidelines established by Rra Ramotswe's ways and attitudes - the more a man is like her father, the more Mma Ramotswe is inclined to respect and/or care for him.