Also known as: SACU
Southern African Customs Union — regional economic bloc comprising Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Namibia, and South Africa, focused on deepening economic integration and intra-regional trade.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
Weekend Post
… The Southern African Customs Union, or SACU, accounted for 14.0%, while the European Union took 7.6%. …
Diamonds, copper lift Botswana’s exports to P5.16 BillionDaily News Botswana
… Highlighting regional trade agreements such as SACU, SADC, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Mr Ntsima noted that while these frameworks opened massive trade corridors, market access was only beneficial if local enterprises were equipped to supply them. …
Ntsima challenges businesses to expand into export marketWeekend Post
… The increase reflected receipts from the Southern African Customs Union, a partial recovery in diamond sales and revenue, gains in portfolio investments and new government borrowing abroad. …
Botswana keeps its investment-grade rating, but diamonds continue to cast a shadowWeekend Post
… Membership in the Southern African Development Community and the Southern African Customs Union adds further reach. …
A Billionaire comes knocking. Can Botswana open the door?Daily News Botswana
… aid revamping the Botswana Unified Revenue Services (BURS) to make its processes more efficient has resulted in a 5.4 per cent increase in collections which translated to P15.36 billion in the first quarter of the 2026/2027 financial year, while the Southern African Customs Union …
Boko Reaffirms Commitment to Rebuild EconomyWeekend Post
… The Southern African Customs Union (SACU) receipts, the government’s biggest revenue source, are forecast to rise to P26.8 billion in 2026/27, up from P24.9 billion the previous year. …
Fiscal challenges set to deepen as the cost of Gov’t debt climbsDaily News Botswana
… President Boko said the two nations would continue to engage as it was witnessed by the recently held Bi-National Commission, the Southern African Customs Union and the Southern African Development Community. …
Botswana and South Africa enjoy smoother tiesWeekend Post
… 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 …
Gaborone to Host High-Stakes CEO Conversations on Botswana’s Road to a $40 Billion EconomyDaily News Botswana
CAPETOWN- The Cape Town International Convention Centre will today host the 9th Southern African Customs Union (SACU) Summit of Heads of State and Government. …
SACU leaders meet in Cape TownWeekend Post
… 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. …
Botswana’s diamond sales surge past P9 BillionBotswana'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 →
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 →
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 →
S&P Global Ratings maintained Botswana's investment-grade sovereign rating at BBB- but kept a negative outlook, citing the country's heavy dependence on diamond exports and concern that weak global diamond demand will continue to constrain economic growth and government revenue.
17 September 2026 · Weekend Post →
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 →
President Duma Boko has reaffirmed his government's commitment to transform Botswana's economy from public sector-led to private sector-led, citing efforts to diversify revenue away from diamonds. He cited improved national savings from P300 million in 2024 to P6.1 billion, a 5.4 per cent increase in BURS collections to P15.36 billion in the first quarter of 2026/2027, and cost containment measures yielding P2.73 billion in cumulative savings since August 2025.
20 July 2026 · Daily News Botswana →
Botswana is confronting growing fiscal pressures, with the cost of servicing government debt expected to spike due to a weakening Pula and rising interest rates. Government revenues rose to P63.23 billion in the first 11 months of the 2025/2026 financial year, boosted by stronger mining revenues and non-mining income tax collections, though projected mineral revenues for 2026/27 are held back by weak global diamond markets.
6 July 2026 · Weekend Post →
President Duma Boko said Botswana and South Africa enjoy smooth relations with emerging issues resolved efficiently through close collaboration, during a farewell courtesy call by outgoing South African High Commissioner Ms Thaninga Shope-Soumah. He highlighted cooperation on Foot and Mouth Disease, travel and movement of people and goods, and engagement through the Bi-National Commission, Southern African Customs Union, and Southern African Development Community.
2 July 2026 · Daily News Botswana →
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 →
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.
25 June 2026 · Daily News Botswana →
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.
24 June 2026 · Weekend Post →
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.
24 June 2026 · Daily News Botswana →
President Advocate Duma Boko has departed Gaborone to attend the 9th SACU Summit in Cape Town from Wednesday to Sunday, with Vice President Ndaba Gaolathe accompanying him. Minister Moeti Mohwasa has assumed the role of Acting President during the President's absence.
24 June 2026 · Daily News Botswana →
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.
22 June 2026 · Botswana Sunday Standard →
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.
15 June 2026 · Daily News Botswana →
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.
9 June 2026 · Daily News Botswana →
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.
15 May 2026 · Mmegi →
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.
5 May 2026 · Weekend Post →