Business in Botswana

Subject (Course): International Trade and Doing Business in Botswana - Gaborone.

Syllabus:

1. Introduction to Botswana (Southern Africa).
2. The Economy of Botswana.
3. International Trade of Botswana.
4. Key sectors:
     - Glass
     - Leather
     - Pharmaceutical
     - Mining
     - Beef
5. Doing Business in Gaborone.
6. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Botswana.
7. Case Study:
   - Debswana (Diamonds).
   - Botswana Telecommunications Corporation.
8. Access to the Botswana's market
9. Business Plan for Botswana

Objectives of the subject “Foreign Trade and Doing Business in Botswana”:

1. To analyse the economy and foreign trade of Botswana
2. To evaluate business opportunities in Botswana
3. To explore Botswana's trade relations with the student's country
4. To know Botswana's Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)
5. To examine the profile of companies in Botswana
6. To develop a business plan for the Botswana's market

Sample of the subject - Foreign Trade and Doing Business in Botswana:

Subject Description (Doing Business in Botswana).

Botswana: Diamonds (1/3 of GDP).

African landlocked country.

The Republic of Botswana:

1. Botswana is advantageously situated in the heart of the Southern Africa region (market size of 200 millions of people).
2. Botswana shares borders with Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.
3. The population of Botswana (2.1 millions of people) is growing at the rate 3.5% annually.
4. Setswana and English are the main languages spoken in the Republic of Botswana.
5. Capital: Gaborone (230,000)
6. Area: 581,730 square kilometres
7. Christianity is the most prevailing belief system in Botswana, with well over 60% of the population.

Botswana belongs to the Southern African Economic Area of the African Civilisation.

The 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 the Republic of Botswana in the lead of other five African countries that have made the most progress in developing policies that promote economic growth, with the objective of reducing poverty.
4. The Botswana Export Development and Investment Authority, is an autonomous private led organisation to promote and make easy the establishment of export-oriented companies.
5. The Government's policies of Botswana include strategies that maximise productivity and add value throughout economy increasing flows of foreign direct investment by an attractive and transparent fiscal and operating environment, and enhance marketing products of Botswana through coordinated export promotion.
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 national and International telecommunications services. The company is a parastatal in which the Botswana Government holds 100% equity.

The nearest ports:

1. Port of Walvis Bay (Namibia) via the Trans-Kalahari Corridor: Gaborone, Lobatse
2. Port of Durban (South Africa)
3. Port of Maputo (Mozambique)

Trans-African corridors:

1. North-South Corridor
2. Cairo-Gaborone Corridor

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

The Republic of Botswana has preferential access to the European Union through the Cotonou Agreement and 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 Swaziland). The Southern Africa Customs Union is negotiating several trade agreements with other regions.

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

1. Southern African Development Community (SADC)
   1. SADC-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (negotiation)
2. COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Agreement
3. Southern African Customs Union (SACU)
4. Forum India-Botswana. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India
5. Cotonou Agreement
6. African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA)
7. Malawi-Botswana Trade Agreement

Botswana is a member of:

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 millions of people-, the Southern Africa Development Community has its headquarters in Gaborone.

1. Forum India-Botswana
2. African Development Bank (AfDB)
3. Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
4. African Union (AU)
5. New Partnership for Africa (NEPAD)
6. Africa (Botswana)-Asia Strategic Partnership
7. Forum Africa (Botswana)-India and China
8. Africa (Botswana)-BRICS
9. Africa (Botswana)-South America Summit
10. Strategic partnerships: Africa-Korea, Turkey, Japan,
11. Afro-Arab cooperation