Southern African Customs Union — regional economic integration body comprising Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Namibia, and South Africa, convening summit in Cape Town.
… Botswana holds membership 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 Contine …
CAPETOWN- The Cape Town International Convention Centre will today host the 9th Southern African Customs Union (SACU) Summit of Heads of State and Government. …
… While reserve levels naturally fluctuate with capital inflows and outflows, recent policy decisions, combined with revenues from diamond sales, Southern African Customs Union receipts, and external borrowing, have helped maintain these reserves at a robust level. …
CAPETOWN - President Advocate Duma Boko arriving in South Africa to attend the 9th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). …
… According to a press release from the Office of the President, President Advocate Duma Boko departed Gaborone yesterday to attend the 9th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), scheduled to take place in Cape Town, South Africa from …
Sunday Standard Foreign Reserves rise as Govt repays BoB advance Botswana’s foreign reserves rose sharply in April, while government significantly reduced its temporary advance from the Bank of Botswana (BoB), signalling that inflows from Southern African Customs Union (SACU) rec …
… Mr Ramodimoosi also emphasised Botswana’s commitment to advancing regional integration through the Southern African Customs Union and the Southern African Development Community, stating that national prosperity was closely linked to regional prosperity. …
… The new requirement, which affects all foreign vehicles, including those from the Southern African Customs Union region, entails online declaration and pre-registration through the SARS Travel Management System (TMS) before travel. …
In 1969, then 30-year-old Festus Mogae found himself as one of the very few black faces around a table dominated by Afrikaner governance veterans as a young Botswana and other regional ‘minnows’ negotiated clauses in the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) agreement.Having join …
… Perhaps most compellingly, young entrepreneurs strongly advocated for an export-oriented YDF, one that goes beyond domestic markets and equips beneficiaries with the tools, networks, and market access needed to trade beyond the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) region. …
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.
Why it matters
CEO Roundtable addressing path to a $40 billion economy reflects urgent focus on economic diversification amid shrinking reserves and contractions.
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.
The 9th Southern African Customs Union summit brought together leaders from Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa in Cape Town to discuss regional economic integration, trade and development issues. South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa opened the summit, while Botswana President Advocate Duma Boko delivered closing remarks in his capacity as SACU chair.
Botswana's diamond sales topped P9 billion in the first quarter of 2026, with the government collecting over P4 billion from diamond royalties and dividends during the period. Foreign exchange reserves currently sit at approximately P58 billion.
President Advocate Duma Boko is attending the 9th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Customs Union in Cape Town from Wednesday to Friday, where leaders of the five SACU member states are deliberating on measures to deepen economic integration, enhance intra-regional trade and strengthen industrial development.
Botswana's foreign reserves rose sharply in April as government significantly reduced its temporary advance from the Bank of Botswana, with improvements attributed to inflows from SACU receipts, diamond revenues, and easing cash pressures from public spending.
Botswana and Lesotho have upgraded their cooperation framework from the Joint Commission on Technical and Economic Cooperation to a fully-fledged Bi-National Commission (BNC), with the inaugural session scheduled for June 17-18. The upgrade, formalized by an agreement signed in Maseru in July 2025, aims to deepen economic cooperation, policy coordination, and regional integration between the two nations.
SARS has introduced a new online declaration and pre-registration requirement for all foreign vehicles through the Travel Management System before border entry, and warns motorists against fraudsters posing as registration agents and demanding fees, as the service is free.
In 1969, then 30-year-old Festus Mogae joined Botswana in negotiations over the Southern African Customs Union agreement as one of few black faces at talks dominated by Afrikaner governance veterans. Mogae had joined government in 1968 and was among just 22 university graduates in Botswana at independence in 1966, quickly recruited to the Development Planning ministry under vice president Ketumile Masire.
The Ministry of Youth and Gender Affairs, partnering with UNICEF Botswana, held an online mass validation exercise to present revised models for the Youth Development Fund and Botswana National Service Programme, based on months of research by Genesis Analytics. The sessions attracted over 700 young people.