Business in Botswana, Gaborone

The objectives of the subject “Foreign Trade and Business in Botswana” are the following:

1. To analyse the economy and foreign trade (Import, Export, FDI) of Botswana
2. To know the business opportunities in Botswana
3. To explore the trade relations of Botswana with the country of the student
4. To know the Free Trade Agreements of Botswana
5. To examine the company profiles in Botswana
6. To develop a business plan for Botswana

Free Trade Agreements (FTA) and Preferential Access of Botswana:

1. Botswana and the Southern African Economic Area
2. Southern African Development Community (SADC)
   1. European Union-SADC Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
3. COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Agreement
4. Southern African Customs Union (SACU)
   1. MERCOSUR-Southern African Customs Union (SACU) Preferential Trade Agreement
   2. United Kingdom-SACU and Mozambique Economic Partnership Agreement
   3. EFTA-Southern African Customs Union (SACU) Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
5. African Continental Free-Trade Area (AfCFTA)
6. Africa-European Union Strategic Partnership (Cotonou Agreement)
7. African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA)
8. Malawi-Botswana Trade Agreement
9. India-Botswana Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
10. Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA)
11. International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) - Guest Member

Trade Facilitation Programs

1. World Trade Organisation (WTO)
   1. WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)
   2. WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS)
   3. WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)
   4. WTO Agreement on Preshipment Inspection (PSI)
   5. WTO Agreement on Safeguards (SG)
   6. WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA)
2. World Customs Organisation (WCO)
   1. Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC)
3. Convention on the Carriage of Goods by Sea (Hamburg Rules, UN)

African Trade and Economic Organisations

1. Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
2. African Union (AU)
   1. African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (not signed)
   2. African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD)
3. African Development Bank (AfDB)
4. Forum on China-Africa Cooperation
5. Africa-India Framework for Cooperation
6. Africa-BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa)
7. Africa-Turkey Partnership
8. Africa-Asia Strategic Partnership (NAASP)
9. Africa-Korea Partnership
10. Africa-Japan Cooperation (TICAD)
11. Africa-South America Summit (ASA)

Global Economic Organisations. Botswana is a member of:

1. United Nations (UN)
   1. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
   2. International Trade Centre (INTRACEN)
   3. World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)
2. World Bank (WB)
3. International Monetary Fund (IMF)
4. World Trade Organisation (WTO)

The Republic of Botswana:

1. Botswana is advantageously situated in the heart of the Southern Africa region 200 million people)
2. Botswana shares borders with Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa
3. The population of Botswana (2.3 million people) is growing 3.5% annually
   1. Bantu
4. Setswana and English are the main spoken languages in the Republic of Botswana
5. Batswana Capital: Gaborone
6. Batswana Area: 581,730 square kilometres
7. Botswana is a unitary parliamentary republic
8. Independence of Botswana from the United Kingdom: 1966
9. Currency of Botswana: Pula

More information about Botswana (EENI African Portal).

Religions in Botswana

1. African Traditional Religions
2. Christianity is the most prevailing belief system in Botswana (80% of the population)

Botswana belongs to the Southern African Economic Area (African Civilisation).

Economy of Botswana:

1. The Economy of the Republic of Botswana is still dependent on the mining sector, particularly diamonds
2. Botswana has achieved an impressive economic efficiency over the past decades
3. The Economic Commission for Africa (Economic Report on Africa), places to Botswana in the lead of other five African Countries that have made largest progress in developing policies that promotes the economic growth, with the objective of the poverty reduction
4. The Botswana Export Development and Investment Authority, is an autonomous private organisation created with the aim to promote and facilitate the establishment of export-oriented companies
5. The policies of the Government of Botswana include strategies that maximise the productivity and add value to the economy throughout increasing the Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows by an attractive and transparent fiscal and operating environment
6. Debswana Diamond Company is a sole partnership between the Government of the Republic of Botswana and De Beers Centenary AG.
7. Botswana Telecommunications Corporation was created in 1980 to supply, develop, work and manage the national and international telecommunications services. The Botswana Government holds 100% of the Corporation

Free Trade Agreements (FTA) of Botswana:

The Republic of Botswana is a member of the Southern African development Community - an international trade organisation, which gives access to a potential market of 200 million people-, the Southern African Development Community has its headquarters in Gaborone.

The Republic of Botswana has preferential access to the European Union through the Africa-EU Strategic Partnership and to the United States through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

Botswana is also a member of the Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU): South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, and Eswatini (Swaziland)). The Southern Africa Customs Union is negotiating several trade agreements with other countries and regions.

The Southern Africa Customs Union is also negotiating Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), MERCOSUR, India, and the People's Republic of China.