Also known as: World Bank Group · the World Bank · The World Bank Group
World Bank — international development institution issuing economic forecasts and policy warnings for Botswana and Sub-Saharan Africa.
News reports
Order a long-term news report on World Bank
Every mention in the Botswanan press over the period you choose, compiled as a PDF or Word document.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
Weekend Post
… The World Bank Group, the century-spanning development institution not known for contrarian flourishes, has advanced a proposition that lands like a splash of cold water on the overheated discourse: for the developing world, the biggest opportunity in artificial intelligence is n …
The Last Mile of IntelligenceWeekend Post
… Growth across Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to accelerate from 4.1 percent in 2025 to 4.3 percent in 2026, according to the latest Africa Economic Update, the World Bank Group’s twice-yearly assessment of the region released on Monday. …
Economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa gains momentum, even as global headwinds persistWeekend Post
… The International Monetary Fund expected activity to contract about 1 percent in 2025, chiefly because of another decline in diamond production; the World Bank estimated a 0.9 percent contraction before forecasting 2.7 percent growth in 2026. …
Botswana’s diamond rebound offers relief – and a WarningWeekend Post
… The International Monetary Fund expected activity to contract about 1 percent in 2025, chiefly because of another decline in diamond production; the World Bank estimated a 0.9 percent contraction before forecasting 2.7 percent growth in 2026. …
Botswana’s diamond rebound offers relief – and a WarningWeekend Post
… The World Bank’s Botswana National Energy Compact said the plant’s difficulties had forced Botswana to rely on expensive imports. …
BPC reports a sharp turnaroundWeekend Post
… World Bank data show the country imported about $12.9 million worth of vegetables and edible roots in 2023, with South Africa supplying nearly $12.25 million of that total. …
Okavango farmers highlight gaps in Botswana’s horticulture marketWeekend Post
… Botswana has made measurable progress on connectivity: the World Bank’s 2023 Botswana Economic Update noted improvements in mobile broadband penetration and digital-payment adoption. …
Dumela Creative Stock returns to connect African creatives with global marketsWeekend Post
… Regional economic growth remains fragile but steady, with the World Bank reporting a growth rate of about 4.1 percent for Sub-Saharan Africa in 2026. …
Botswana defies regional debt woesMmegi
… While the government can borrow up to 60% of GDP after securing Parliament approval last year, Finance Ministry authorities and experts at the World Bank have warned that the slow pace of economic growth and uncertainty in diamonds could trigger a debt crisis.
Inside govt’s spending cutsWeekend Post
… The World Bank has repeatedly warned that inadequate social protection for migrant workers can exacerbate poverty, inequality, and economic instability across regions. …
SADC’s social security gaps leave migrants facing hidden lossesThe World Bank Group has proposed that artificial intelligence's biggest opportunity for the developing world lies not in large frontier models but in affordable, accessible tools that work in languages like Setswana, Swahili, Bengali, and Quechua.
13 October 2026 · Weekend Post →
The World Bank Group has proposed that artificial intelligence's biggest opportunity for the developing world lies not in large frontier models but in affordable, accessible tools that work in languages like Setswana, Swahili, Bengali, and Quechua.
13 October 2026 · Weekend Post →
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 →
After a severe slump, Botswana's diamond industry has recovered—the economy expanded 3.5 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026 and rough-diamond output surged in the second. Acting president and finance minister Ndaba Gaolathe has urged the country to use this reprieve to diversify away from dependence on diamonds, steering capital toward farms, factories, and tourism rather than relying on another diamond-market recovery.
8 October 2026 · Weekend Post →
Botswana's diamond industry has rebounded after a slump, with the economy expanding 3.5 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026 and rough-diamond output surging in the second. However, acting president and finance minister Ndaba Gaolathe warned against treating the recovery as a transformation, calling for investment in farms, factories, and tourism rather than reliance on diamond market fluctuations.
28 September 2026 · Weekend Post →
The Botswana Power Corporation reported supplying 86 percent of the country's electricity requirements from its own generation assets during the first quarter of the 2026-27 financial year, a record performance up from 67 percent in the previous year. The improvement reflects increased reliability of the utility's generating units and reduces dependence on costlier imported electricity.
21 September 2026 · Weekend Post →
Farmers in Botswana's Okavango region say limited and poorly structured markets are preventing them from expanding horticultural production despite having adequate land, water, and capacity. The Okavango Horticulture Farmers Association, representing more than 60 of an estimated 140 horticultural producers in the district, reports that farmers base production decisions on what they believe they can sell rather than on market demand, forcing them toward lower-value crops like rape instead of higher-value options such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and butternuts.
7 September 2026 · Weekend Post →
Dumela Creative Stock, a digital marketplace for African creative content, is relaunching to connect photographers, videographers and sound creators with international buyers. The platform is designed to monetise creative intellectual property and support Botswana's economic diversification agenda, as mining accounts for roughly a third of GDP and over 80 per cent of export earnings.
27 August 2026 · Weekend Post →
Finance Minister Ndaba Gaolathe rejected concerns about a debt crisis, stating that Botswana is not in debt distress and maintains one of the lowest debt-to-GDP ratios in Sub-Saharan Africa at about 29 percent of GDP in the 2025/26 fiscal year, a position more favorable than many regional neighbors.
18 August 2026 · Weekend Post →
The government is trimming the budget to slow borrowing and prevent a debt crisis, as public debt reached P92.7 billion and is expected to exceed P100 billion by year-end, representing about 44% of GDP. Finance authorities and the World Bank warn that slow economic growth and diamond sector uncertainty could trigger a debt crisis.
10 August 2026 · Mmegi →
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 →
Botswana's economy is expected to stage a modest recovery over the next two to three years, largely on the back of a rebound in diamond production from historically low levels, though the World Bank warns that only structural reform can meaningfully reduce poverty and unemployment.
27 July 2026 · The Botswana Gazette →
The World Bank says Botswana's diamond wealth has transformed the country into an upper-middle-income economy, but poverty, inequality, and unemployment remain stubbornly high and benefits have not been widely shared.
22 July 2026 · Botswana Sunday Standard →
The World Bank has warned that Botswana must enact a fiscal adjustment of roughly 4 percent of its Gross Domestic Product to stabilize public debt and avoid an unsustainable financial trajectory.
22 July 2026 · Weekend Post →
The World Bank reports that Botswana's diamond revenues, which once covered more than two years of government wages, now cover only four months, as declining revenues, widening budget deficits and delayed reforms constrain the government's fiscal position.
21 July 2026 · Botswana Sunday Standard →
The World Bank has warned that high poverty, deep income inequality, and a worsening jobs crisis are undermining Botswana's long-term growth prospects and threatening its ambitions to become a more inclusive upper-middle-income economy. The bank argues that persistent poverty and one of the world's highest levels of inequality have become structural barriers to sustainable development.
21 July 2026 · Botswana Sunday Standard →
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.
14 July 2026 · Weekend Post →
The government has developed reforms to stabilise the economy and reduce reliance on diamonds, including a national fund of funds initiative that will mobilise capital from government and local institutions to provide equity and venture debt to local businesses and emerging sectors like creative and digital industries.
13 July 2026 · Daily News Botswana →
Botswana is planning a complete ban on single-use plastics by 2027, shifting from taxing plastic use to eliminating it outright. The government is willing to forgo the P1.5 million monthly revenue from the plastic levy to protect ecosystems, wildlife, and public health, giving manufacturers and importers time to transition to reusable and biodegradable packaging.
16 June 2026 · Weekend Post →
Botswana's state-owned Okavango Diamond Company has extended operations into India, holding rough diamond viewing sessions in Mumbai at the Bharat Diamond Bourse Complex. The move has raised questions about the company's presence in the Indian diamond hub and why operational details remain undisclosed.
9 June 2026 · Weekend Post →
Botswana's diamond industry leaders are calling for a shift from traditional mining and sales toward an ecosystem focused on traceability, blockchain technology, and digital trading to compete with lab-grown gems and appeal to younger consumers. Industry executives stressed that natural diamonds must emphasize emotional and historical value alongside transparency about a stone's origin and journey to market.
2 June 2026 · Weekend Post →
Botswana's government plans to introduce a new Anti-Corruption Bill to Parliament in July and grant the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime full operational independence, according to the Minister for State President, Defence and Security. The reforms aim to bolster accountability, restore public trust, and elevate governance standards.
2 June 2026 · Weekend Post →
The Bank of Botswana's Business Expectations Survey shows firms broadly pessimistic about trading conditions, with economic output expected to grow only 1.7 percent in 2026, a rebound from 0.7 percent contraction in 2025. Weak government spending, exchange rate pressures, and rising input costs constrain confidence, though inflation expectations remain anchored within the central bank's 3 to 6 percent target range.
2 June 2026 · Weekend Post →
The World Bank has committed $10 million to a new financing vehicle for the Cubango-Okavango River Basin, marking a shift toward structured long-term capital for conservation rather than sporadic donor support.
25 May 2026 · Botswana Sunday Standard →
The Botswana Energy Regulatory Authority is developing a new pricing framework for liquefied petroleum gas to be completed by December, aiming to increase transparency and prevent anti-competitive practices in a market dominated by five importers. The move addresses concerns about market concentration and collusion risks as LPG demand grows among households and businesses.
20 May 2026 · Weekend Post →
The Botswana Congress Party has dismissed the government's forensic audit as structurally flawed and theatrically political, arguing it reveals little that is new and provides no credible roadmap for institutional reform. If the report remains secret, the BCP plans to revive its proposal for a fully independent Presidential Commission of Inquiry when Parliament reconvenes in July.
20 May 2026 · Weekend Post →
Global finance professionals' confidence has plunged to pandemic-era lows due to Middle East conflict and soaring commodity prices, with the Strait of Hormuz closure reducing maritime traffic by 95 percent and energy prices projected to surge 24 percent. Africa's GDP growth is forecast to lose 0.2 percentage points in 2026 as soaring fuel and fertilizer costs threaten agricultural output.
12 May 2026 · Weekend Post →
Botswana and Rwanda have signed a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement to eliminate double taxation on income earned in both countries and deepen economic ties. Officials say the pact will attract foreign direct investment and ease cross-border business expansion, though concerns remain about potential revenue losses and tax avoidance risks.
12 May 2026 · Weekend Post →
The World Bank Group warns that the Middle East conflict is causing the largest oil supply loss on record, with global commodity prices forecast to rise 16 percent in 2026 and energy prices expected to surge 24 percent, fueling inflation and slowing growth in import-dependent economies like Botswana.
12 May 2026 · Weekend Post →
The Ministry of Trade and Entrepreneurship is advancing a 24-hour economy model, supported by World Bank research showing weaknesses in tourism diversification, including low tourism visits, shorter stays, and weak infrastructure.
4 May 2026 · Mmegi →
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.
28 April 2026 · Weekend Post →