Tuesday, 27 October 2026

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Tuesday, 27 October 2026

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Botswanan press · Organization

African Continental Free Trade Area

2026-05-062026-10-27

News reports

Order a long-term news report on African Continental Free Trade Area

Every mention in the Botswanan press over the period you choose, compiled as a PDF or Word document.

In coverage

Verbatim sentences from the source article.

July 2026
30 JulDaily News Botswana
… He added that strengthened relations between Botswana and Côte d›Ivoire would not only cement bilateral ties but also help mobilise African expertise, promote skills exchange, and accelerate development in line with the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area. …
Boko urges Africa to unite
22 JulWeekend Post
… y could move “from importer to regional supplier within this decade”; resource beneficiation, supported by amendments to the Mines and Minerals Act designed to keep processing and refining onshore; investment and trade positioning, built on the African Continental Free Trade Area …
Gaborone Opens Its Boardroom: Inside the Inaugural CEO Africa Roundtable
14 JulWeekend Post
… Despite a market of 1.4 billion people under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), intra-African trade remains disappointingly low. …
CEO Africa Roundtable pledges 3 bankable projects by 2027 to boost Botswana’s growth
14 JulWeekend Post
… The government aims to diversify by leveraging other sectors and aligning with continental demand under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). …
Fit Workforce, $40 Billion Future: Botswana’s path to 2036
7 JulWeekend Post
… He called for strengthened partnerships under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to create seamless mineral value chains that add value on the continent rather than exporting raw materials. …
Vice President Gaolathe charts new course for mining’s future
June 2026
29 JunWeekend Post
… rship of the Southern African Customs Union, which provides duty-free access to a market of over 68 million people, the Southern African Development Community, which extends that reach to 406 million people across sixteen member states, and the African Continental Free Trade Area …
Gaborone to Host High-Stakes CEO Conversations on Botswana’s Road to a $40 Billion Economy
18 JunDaily News Botswana
… He also emphasised that it was important for the two nations to harness the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA). …
LESABO project to address water scarcity
9 JunWeekend Post
… The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), along with innovations like the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), provide frameworks for reducing reliance on fragmented global systems. …
Geopolitical wars cost world economy $213 billion annually – WEF
May 2026
6 MayDaily News Botswana
… On the African Continental Free Trade Area, President Boko underscored the need for African countries to invest in infrastructure that connects the continent, facilitating trade and the free movement of people and goods. …
Botswana and Rwanda strive for free travel movement

Business

Botswana seeks Chinese investment beyond diamond extraction

The News

Botswana hosted a business forum in Beijing with 30 local companies meeting Chinese businesses to convert political ties into commercial partnerships and investment. President Duma Boko pitched Botswana as a stable gateway to Southern Africa, seeking Chinese capital and expertise in factories, processing, technology, and market access—not just raw material financing—as diamonds account for more than 80 percent of the country's export earnings.

19 October 2026 · Weekend Post →

Monday 19 October

Botswana seeks Chinese investment beyond diamond extraction
Botswana hosted a business forum in Beijing with 30 local companies meeting Chinese businesses to convert political ties into commercial partnerships and investment. President Duma Boko pitched Botswana as a stable gateway to Southern Africa, seeking Chinese capital and expertise in factories, processing, technology, and market access—not just raw material financing—as diamonds account for more than 80 percent of the country's export earnings.
19 October 2026 · Weekend Post →

Monday 12 October

Sub-Saharan Africa's growth projected to accelerate to 4.3 percent in 2026
The World Bank has upgraded Sub-Saharan Africa's economic growth forecast to 4.3 percent for 2026, up from 4.1 percent in 2025, driven by firmer macroeconomic conditions, resurgent domestic demand, and investment in clean energy and digital technology. Nearly three-quarters of the region's economies, including Angola, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Zambia, have received upward growth revisions.
12 October 2026 · Weekend Post →
Diamonds and copper drive Botswana's July exports to P5.16 billion
Botswana's export earnings rose to P5.16 billion in July 2026, with diamonds accounting for 60.2% of total exports and copper contributing 23.1%, together generating more than 83% of export earnings. Mining remains the foundation of external trade, though the country continues to face reliance on a narrow commodity base for long-term economic resilience.
12 October 2026 · Weekend Post →
Minister urges businesses to build domestic base before exporting
Speaking at the inaugural Made in BW – Sold to the World Expo 2026 in Palapye, Minister Ntsima challenged businesses to establish strong domestic market foundations before pursuing exports, arguing that local customers help producers refine quality, packaging, and value. The government committed to support local enterprises through preferential procurement and the Economic Diversification Drive.
12 October 2026 · Daily News Botswana →

Thursday 8 October

President Boko urges private sector beyond government tenders
President Duma Boko has called on the private sector to transform Botswana's economy through innovation, production and genuine entrepreneurship rather than relying on government tenders. He criticised the dominance of "tenderpreneurship"—middleman business models that inflate prices without adding value—and urged businesses to focus on manufacturing, intellectual property development and utilising local resources.
8 October 2026 · Daily News Botswana →

Monday 14 September

Botswana's beef exports shift after EU closes market access
The European Union shut Botswana's last authorized fresh-beef export zones on 21 April 2026 following foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks, forcing the state-owned Botswana Meat Commission to seek alternative markets in the Gulf, sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia, including the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola.
14 September 2026 · Weekend Post →

Wednesday 9 September

PAGC urges Botswana entrepreneurs to expand beyond domestic market
Pan African Game Changers founder Dr Precious Gondwe has called on young entrepreneurs to move beyond Botswana's 2.5-million-person domestic market and pursue opportunities across Africa and the region, including through strategic partnerships with neighbouring countries to overcome the landlocked position.
9 September 2026 · Daily News Botswana →

Monday 31 August

Tanzanian billionaire Dewji pitches investment partnership to Botswana
Mohammed Dewji, Tanzania's richest man and head of the MeTL Group conglomerate, met with President Duma Boko to explore a partnership that would use Botswana as a strategic base to reach 350 million consumers across the southern African region. Dewji's proposed investments span manufacturing, logistics, agriculture, and energy.
31 August 2026 · Weekend Post →

Wednesday 12 August

Botswana and Nigeria launch high-level business forum
Business leaders from Botswana and Nigeria gathered at a high-level business forum in Gaborone to explore opportunities for expanded bilateral trade, investment, and private-sector collaboration under the African Continental Free Trade Area framework. Officials called for targeted policy measures to create a more efficient trading environment and highlighted opportunities for value chain development and knowledge transfer between the two countries.
12 August 2026 · Daily News Botswana →

Monday 3 August

SADC migrants lose social security benefits upon forced return
Migrants displaced from South Africa are unable to access pensions, unemployment insurance, and other contributory benefits they earned while working, as most social security schemes are territorially bound. Labor advocates call for SADC to enforce binding agreements allowing migrants to carry benefits across borders.
3 August 2026 · Weekend Post →

Thursday 30 July

President Boko urges African unity on resources and development
President Duma Boko called on African countries to overcome colonial-era stereotypes and language barriers to work together in harnessing the continent's natural resources and building shared prosperity. Speaking during a courtesy call by Côte d'Ivoire's Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Energy, Boko emphasised the need to move beyond extraction and commit to deeper cooperation and stronger value chains across Africa.
30 July 2026 · Daily News Botswana →

Wednesday 22 July

Gaborone hosts inaugural CEO Africa Roundtable on economic growth
Botswana held the inaugural CEO Africa Roundtable at the Gaborone International Convention Centre, bringing together chief executives, board chairpersons, diplomats, and business leaders under the banner "Towards a $40 Billion Economy by 2036." The government presented a roadmap acknowledging that the old economic model has run its course and called for action from private sector and regional partners.
22 July 2026 · Weekend Post →

Tuesday 14 July

CEO-ART pledges three bankable projects by 2027
CEO Africa Roundtable founder Kenias Mafukidze announced commitments to establish an investment desk, deliver three bankable flagship projects by 2027, and bring annual CEO delegations to Botswana, as part of a vision to help double the economy from $20 billion to $40 billion by 2036 through diversification away from raw commodity exports toward high-value industries including digital innovation, renewable energy, agro-processing, and tourism.
14 July 2026 · Weekend Post →
Botswana's $40 billion 2036 goal depends on workforce health
A CEO roundtable in Gaborone heard that achieving a $40 billion economy by 2036 requires a fit, healthy workforce. BOMAID, which covers approximately 95,000 lives and holds a 54% market share in Botswana's medical aid sector, spent over P100 million on client care during COVID-19, demonstrating health's role as an economic pillar.
14 July 2026 · Weekend Post →

Tuesday 7 July

Vice President outlines sustainable mining strategy at global summit
Vice President Ndaba Gaolathe addressed the Future of Mining Summit in Botswana on June 29, 2026, presenting a roadmap that links resource development to industrial diversification and environmental stewardship, emphasizing that mining must extend beyond extraction to foster diversified economies and resilient communities.
7 July 2026 · Weekend Post →

Monday 29 June

CEO Roundtable in Gaborone to discuss economic diversification
The CEO Africa Roundtable will convene in Gaborone on 6 July 2026 under the theme "Towards a $40 Billion Economy by 2036," addressing Botswana's economic challenges including contracting foreign exchange reserves (from approximately $7.5 billion in 2017 to an estimated $3.2 billion by end-2024) and consecutive economic contractions in 2024 and 2025.
29 June 2026 · Weekend Post →

Thursday 18 June

LESABO water transfer project to bolster Botswana water security
President Advocate Duma Boko said the proposed Lesotho-South Africa-Botswana water transfer project would strengthen Botswana's long-term water security, support industrial development, and enhance regional integration. Boko highlighted the project as an opportunity to address water scarcity and support sustainable solutions while deepening cooperation between the two nations across energy, trade, agriculture, and other sectors.
18 June 2026 · Daily News Botswana →

Tuesday 9 June

Global economic fragmentation costs world economy $213–307 billion yearly
According to a World Economic Forum report, geopolitical tensions and economic fragmentation are costing the global economy between $213 billion and $307 billion annually while adding 0.2 to 0.3 percentage points to global inflation. The fragmentation increasingly affects closely allied economies such as the EU, Canada, Japan, and South Korea, as economic security measures like tariffs and sanctions are deployed among allies rather than just rivals.
9 June 2026 · Weekend Post →

Wednesday 6 May

Botswana, Rwanda pursue visa-free travel and closer cooperation
President Advocate Duma Boko has called for Botswana to reciprocate Rwanda's policy allowing Batswana to stay for up to six months by extending similar provisions to Rwandan citizens. Boko emphasized that easing travel restrictions would strengthen diplomatic relations and boost tourism, trade, and cultural exchange between the two nations.
6 May 2026 · Daily News Botswana →