Southern African Development Community — regional organization coordinating member states on trade, food security, elections, and anti-money laundering efforts across Southern Africa.
… The event, hosted by the Anti-Tobacco Network, was also attended by the WHO Representative to Botswana and SADC, alongside senior officials from the Ministries of Health, Trade and Entrepreneurship, academia, and the civil society, underscoring growing consensus around the need t …
… Amos’s vision reaches beyond Botswana’s borders, with plans underway to expand UYAL throughout the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. …
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has called for urgent and coordinated regional action to strengthen food security, climate resilience and agricultural systems in the face of growing threats posed by global supply chain disruptions, climate change and livestock d …
… Mr Mosisili said Mogae stood firmly with Lesotho during one of its most difficult periods, working through the Southern African Development Community to help restore calm and support democratic processes. …
Former President Dr Festus Mogae's footprint as a statesman was felt across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region and beyond, former Mozambique President Mr Juaquim Chissano has said. …
… The rebrand represents a strategic transformation of BTC’s business operations and reaffirms its commitment to supporting businesses, government institutions, and organisations across Botswana and the broader Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. …
… The Southern African Development Community notes that informal trade in natural resources can weaken tax systems and undermine conservation efforts. …
… Positioned at the heart of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Botswana is leveraging its political stability and central location to become a regional hub for services and innovation. …
The President of the All Africa Association for Small and Medium Enterprises honoured President Advocate Duma Boko with the UbuntuSusu Continental SME Billion Fund recognition at the Trade Up North 10th Anniversary in Francistown, acknowledging his commitment to growing SMEs and creating an enabling environment for small businesses in Botswana. AAASME has established the $1.4 billion UbuntuSusu Continental SMEs Fund to assist SMEs in Africa to access finance, presenting Botswana's local SMEs an opportunity to tap into continental financing, markets and partnerships.
The President of the All Africa Association for Small and Medium Enterprises honoured President Advocate Duma Boko with the UbuntuSusu Continental SME Billion Fund recognition at the Trade Up North 10th Anniversary in Francistown, acknowledging his commitment to growing SMEs and creating an enabling environment for small businesses in Botswana. AAASME has established the $1.4 billion UbuntuSusu Continental SMEs Fund to assist SMEs in Africa to access finance, presenting Botswana's local SMEs an opportunity to tap into continental financing, markets and partnerships.
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.
According to the Ibrahim Index of African Governance 2026, Botswana's score has dropped 8.6 points over the past decade and now ranks sixth in Africa with a score of 57.8, placing it among five African nations showing severe declines in anti-corruption efforts since 2016. The report flags Botswana as experiencing "Increasing Deterioration," signaling an acceleration of decline since 2021.
Families of the 45 people who died in the 2024 Mmamatlakala Bridge bus accident in South Africa have not yet received compensation from the Road Accident Fund (RAF), according to the Chief of Staff in the Office of the President. The President's office has engaged the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund and RAF to assist with compensation claims, with RAF confirming its willingness to help.
BCP president Dumelang Saleshando opened the party's elective congress, emphasising that it occurs amid significant erosion of purchasing power and calls for practical solutions to socio-economic challenges including rising cost of living, unemployment, and declining household incomes. The congress drew regional political delegates and opposition leaders from across Southern Africa.
The Trade Up North B2B procurement platform, now in its 10th year, connects SMEs with SADC buyers and features curated "Deal Rooms" arranging meetings between suppliers and procurement leaders from major companies and government ministries. The 2026 fair will take place in Francistown at Cresta Marang Gardens.
Botswana's premier B2B procurement platform connects SMEs with SADC buyers through curated "Deal Rooms" featuring pre-scheduled meetings with procurement leaders from major companies and government ministries. The fair, now in its tenth year, takes place in Francistown and aims to drive local content and regional integration.
The Botswana Congress Party will hold an elective congress over the long weekend (July 18–21) at Mogoditshane Senior Secondary School to elect office bearers for six positions. Party leader Dumelang Saleshando's seat will not be challenged, but contested races include the vice presidency race between Dr Unity Dow and incumbent Taolo Lucas, and the chairperson position with three candidates.
Powertel Communications and Paratus Zimbabwe have launched the first phase of a fiber optic project linking Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, South Africa, and the wider Paratus continental network. The initial active segment runs from Plumtree to Bulawayo as part of a public-private partnership agreement signed in June 2025.
Botswana has formally returned to regional pooled procurement for essential medicines after months of drug shortages exposed procurement flaws and prompted allegations of corruption and inflated pricing in the country's previous system.
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.
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 Botswana Vaccine Institute Limited is ramping up production and quality testing of foot-and-mouth disease vaccines to meet local and regional demands as Botswana battles recent FMD outbreaks, particularly in zones 3c and 6b.
The use of Botswana's presidential aircraft OK1 to transport Lesotho's Prime Minister has drawn criticism amid government spending concerns. President Boko described it as normal regional assistance, but opposition leader Dumelang Saleshando characterized the deployment as abuse of state resources given the country's fiscal strain.
President Advocate Duma Boko called for urgent political, financial and technical support to contain the Ebola outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, emphasizing that infectious diseases transcend borders and require collective action. Speaking at a June 16 virtual meeting, Boko stressed the importance of regional cooperation, protecting frontline health workers, and enhanced cross-border surveillance to respond to the outbreak, which has a joint preparedness and response plan valued at US$518 million.
Botswana Meat Commission and Botswana Vaccine Institute are strengthening collaboration with Lesotho through the inaugural Botswana/Lesotho Bi-National Commission, which aims to boost value-added meat processing, animal health and regional food security. The framework also identifies strategic cooperation areas including agriculture, water management, trade, security and investment.
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.
President Advocate Duma Boko has underscored the critical role of free and fair elections in sustaining democracy, peace and stability across SADC, praising the Electoral Commissions Forum of SADC for strengthening election management bodies throughout the region. The ECF-SADC Chairperson noted that Botswana remains a beacon of peace, good governance and democracy following its 2024 transition of power.
Simon Hirschfeld, Botswana's first Motswana Police Commissioner who served 39 years in law enforcement and spent 24 years leading the Botswana Police Service, was buried at Phomolong Memorial Park in Gaborone with a traditional police funeral ceremony.
The Southern African Development Community has operationalised its AML/CFT committee to combat money laundering and terrorism financing in the region. Acting Finance Minister Wynter Mmolotsi told the committee's fifth meeting in Gaborone that member states face structural vulnerabilities including import dependence and limited economic diversification, which the region must address through strengthened collaboration.
A new report launched in Botswana warned of rising tobacco and nicotine industry influence, particularly targeting young people through vaping, and called for urgent finalisation and implementation of regulations under the Tobacco Control Act (2021). The 2025 Botswana Tobacco Industry Interference Index Report noted Botswana's global leadership in tobacco control while highlighting the need to operationalise existing legislation.
Olympic silver medalist Nigel Amos has announced a plan to transform youth athletics in Botswana and Southern Africa through two initiatives: the TATAMILAWOLOTO Track Klub, a professional academy for athletes aged 9 to 24 offering high-performance training, and the United Youth Athletics League, designed to address gaps in junior athletics programs across the region.
SADC Deputy Executive Secretary Angèle Makombo N'Tumba called for urgent regional action to strengthen food security and agricultural systems amid global supply chain disruptions, climate change, and livestock diseases. She warned that Middle East conflicts have restricted agricultural input and petroleum product movements, while extreme weather threatens food and energy security across the region.
Botswana and the European Union have reaffirmed their partnership at the 7th Botswana–EU Partnership Dialogue in Gaborone, with Minister Dr Phenyo Butale highlighting cooperation in renewable energy, digital transformation, biodiversity conservation, and economic diversification.
Former Lesotho Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili has credited the late former President Festus Mogae with playing a crucial role in preserving peace and stability in Lesotho during political unrest following the country's 1998 elections, working through SADC and supporting the Botswana Defence Force's intervention.
Former Mozambique President Joaquim Chissano delivered a eulogy at the State Memorial Service for former Botswana President Festus Mogae, describing him as a principled leader and "one of the architects of stability in Southern Africa" who provided wise counsel in regional deliberations.
Botswana Telecommunications Corporation has officially launched BTC Business, a refreshed identity for its business division, delivering tailored digital solutions to critical sectors including government, banking, mining, tourism, education, healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, transport and energy across Botswana and the SADC region.
Over 3,000 harvesters have swarmed communal lands and farms in Botswana for mophane worms, a caterpillar harvested for food and income. Overharvesting, habitat destruction, and weak regulation are depleting mopane worm populations and damaging the mopane woodlands they depend on, threatening both conservation and long-term economic sustainability.
The CEO Africa Roundtable, described by its Chief Economist as a policy laboratory, has landed in Botswana. The organization aims to convert boardroom discussions into actionable strategies and influence policy across the continent.