Country Info: Botswana
Economic Background
Botswana has maintained one of the world's highest economic growth rates since independence in 1966. However, economic growth was negative in 2009, with the industrial sector shrinking by 30%, after the global crisis reduced demand for Botswana's diamonds. Although the economy recovered in 2010, GDP growth has again slowed.
Through fiscal discipline and sound management, Botswana transformed itself from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income country with a per capita GDP of $16,800 in 2012. Two major investment services rank Botswana as the best credit risk in Africa. Diamond mining has fueled much of the expansion and currently accounts for more than one-third of GDP, 70-80% of export earnings, and about one-third of the government's revenues. Botswana's heavy reliance on a single luxury export was a critical factor in the sharp economic contraction of 2009. Tourism, financial services, subsistence farming, and cattle raising are other key sectors. According to official government statistics, unemployment reached 17.8% in 2009, but unofficial estimates run much higher. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS is second highest in the world and threatens Botswana's impressive economic gains. An expected leveling off in diamond production within the next two decades overshadows long-term prospects.
A major international diamond company signed a 10-year deal with Botswana in 2012 to move its rough stone sorting and trading division from London to Gaborone by the end of 2013. The move may support Botswana's downstream diamond industry. (Source: World Factbook, 2013)
Selection of document downloads
Botswana - UPDATED National AGOA Strategy (2021)
The National AGOA Response Strategy provides a key guiding framework on strategic areas of interventions that would allow for Botswana to broaden and deepen its use of the AGOA preference program. This [updated] Strategy, therefore, seeks to ensure that the country remains on course to developing Botswana’s export and manufacturing sectors. As an update to the initial AGOA National Response Strategy that was launched in September 2017, there...
![Brochure - AGOA performance and country profile of Botswana [2021 Updated Version]](https://agoa.info//images/articles/15551/_thumb2/botswanaagoabrochure2021.png "Brochure - AGOA performance and country profile of Botswana [2021 Updated Version]")
Brochure - AGOA performance and country profile of Botswana [2021 Updated Version]
An overview of Botswana's participation and utilisation of AGOA preferences since 2000, including relevant trade data and sector-focus. Double-sided A4 brochure. For printing, set 'fit to page'. Updated in 2021, including trade data to end 2021
Botswana - National AGOA Strategy
This document was prepared following a multiple stakeholder consultation process facilitated by the Botswana Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry with assistance from the USAID Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub. The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government.
View related news articles
US and Botswana MITI launch revised AGOA Utilization Strategy to improve economic growth in Botswana
On April 29, the Embassy of the United States of America joined the Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry (MITI) and other stakeholders to launch the revised strategy (see link to download) at the Hilton Garden Inn in Gaborone. U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Botswana, Craig L. Cloud, joined Minister Mmusi Kgafela to formally launch the...
Botswana: AGOA dream dims for local textile sector
Local textile and apparel producers appear to be giving up hope of exporting to the United States under the duty-free AGOA provisions, preferring instead to focus on the local and regional markets, BusinessWeek has established. AGOA is a trade arrangement between the US and sub-Saharan Africa running till 2025 and providing relaxed access to the American market. Textiles...
Botswana: Textile sector upbeat, despite AGOA export collapse
The country’s textile and apparel exports to the United States under AGOA, fell to just $3,000 (P32,100) in 2018, the first numbers showing the impact of the relocation to Lesotho of the last exporting firm. Under the African Growth and Opportunity Act’s duty and quota free provision, Botswana textile firms were shipping off P1.8 billion in stock to the US at the peak...
Botswana: 'Businesses fail to fully utilise AGOA' - BITC
Local businesses are failing to exploit the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), says the director for export development at Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC), Mr Obert Yuyi. Mr Yuyi said this during a national AGOA response strategy workshop in Francistown on April 24. He said with the recent closure of mines around Francistown, unemployment was on the rise...
AGOA strategy awareness in motion for Botswana
The Ministry of Investment Trade and Industry (MITI) in collaboration with Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC), U.S. Embassy in Botswana, USAID Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub, African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP), the Local Enterprise Authority (LEA), the Citizen Entrepreneurship Development Agency (CEDA) and the Botswana Export Credit...
Botswana: Fresh attempt to revive AGOA exports
Despite duty free access to the United States (US) market, exports from Botswana have virtually dried up due to inadequate awareness of the African Growth Opportunities Act (AGOA) programme and the high cost of compliance with technical regulations, standards and quality certification. From the peak of exports worth around $17 million in 2011, which were dominated by...
Botswana: Government launches strategy to benefit more from AGOA
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) National Response Strategy, which was developed through the assistance of the USAID Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub, will be launched at the beginning of next month. The strategy would help local businesses grow by taking advantage of AGOA provision of duty-free exports to the United States of America (USA) with the...
Botswana: Women in business urged to utilise AGOA
Women in business have been encouraged to take advantage and participate in the lucrative US preferential trade scheme known as the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) for better profits. African Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme (AWEP) chairperson, Chigedze Chinyepi said this when addressing women in business during AWEP’s capacity building workshop that was held...
Botswana advised to establish AGOA office
Speaking this week during the validation workshop of the draft AGOA strategy in Gaborone, George Makore said the AGOA office should be headed by a coordinator to be assisted by experts in export development, investment promotion, and information dissemination. “The process of setting up the institutional structure should be initiated within 60 days of approval of the...
Botswana to get garment training centre
The Botswana government has given the go-ahead for the Textile and Clothing Institute of Botswana (TCIB), the first of its kind in the country, to overcome a chronic shortage of skilled workers that has negatively impacted the textiles sector for many years. Its founder, Shahid Ghafoor, president of the Botswana Textile and Clothing Association, said TCIB was offering...
Botswana companies fail to reap AGOA benefits
Only two out of the 13 Botswana companies that signed to take up preferential trade opportunities with the United States through the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) at its inception in 2000 have prospered through the trade deal, the government has announced. Addressing delegates at a US Embassy-funded seminar aimed at appraising local businesses on new amendments...