Botswana stands on the brink of a quiet energy revolution, one that could reshape rural life for its remote farming communities and transform its agricultural landscape. Botswana Oil, the country’s national oil company, is spearheading this effort with a bold vision: to bring reliable, affordable energy access directly to the farms and villages often left at the margins of infrastructure development. At the 2025 Gantsi Show, under the banner “Sowing Seeds of Innovation for Agricultural Transformation,” Botswana Oil’s General Manager of Supply, Onkutule Masima, outlined a strategy that blends innovation with inclusivity, aiming to bridge the yawning gap between Botswana’s urban energy hubs and its rural heartlands.
The challenge is formidable. Botswana’s geography is vast and varied, with many farming areas tucked far from traditional fuel supply routes. Recognizing this, Botswana Oil is not merely expanding existing infrastructure but rethinking how fuel and energy are distributed altogether. The company is mapping supply corridors that link Botswana’s interior to Southern Africa’s key ports in Namibia, South Africa, and Mozambique. These corridors are chosen through a cost-to-serve model, ensuring efficiency while also prioritizing reach. Masima explained that this approach is not just about economics but about national energy security, guaranteeing that even distant locales like Hukuntsi and Gantsi are integrated into a dependable internal supply grid sourced from various depots and entry points across the country.
Beyond traditional distribution, Botswana Oil is pioneering movable fuel stations — a nimble alternative to fixed service stations that can be deployed to remote farming communities where setting up permanent infrastructure is impractical or prohibitively expensive. These mobile units can travel to the farms, providing diesel, petrol, and even liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which is safer and cleaner for cooking and heating needs. The concept is inspired by similar innovations across Africa, where portable fuel stations have proven to be flexible, cost-effective solutions for rural energy access. By bringing the fuel source closer to the farmers, Botswana Oil aims to reduce the logistical barriers that have long hampered agricultural productivity.
But the company’s vision goes beyond just fuel. The proposed rural energy hubs are designed as multifunctional centers, offering access not only to fuels but also to essential services like mini-ATMs, enabling financial transactions in areas with limited banking infrastructure. This integration of energy and financial services reflects a deep understanding of rural realities, where farmers often face a patchwork of challenges that require holistic solutions. By making energy and money accessible in one spot, these hubs could become lifelines for rural economies, empowering farmers to invest in equipment, seeds, and inputs that boost their productivity.
In areas like Pandamatenga and Barolong Farms—key agricultural zones known for their commercial grain production and farming cooperatives—Botswana Oil is collaborating with government agencies and international partners to establish small-scale storage facilities. These storage points will serve as local fuel depots, reducing the distances farmers must travel to refuel machinery and transport produce. Crucially, the company is exploring models where farmer cooperatives themselves own and operate these rural energy businesses, fostering local entrepreneurship and ensuring that the benefits of energy access circulate within the community. This approach dovetails with broader efforts to promote sustainability and self-reliance in Botswana’s agricultural sector.
The importance of integrating energy access with agriculture cannot be overstated. Botswana’s farming sector, especially in its more remote regions, has long struggled with unreliable and costly energy supplies. Diesel generators remain common on farms, but they are expensive to run and environmentally taxing. The introduction of LPG and eventually renewable energy solutions at these rural hubs could significantly lower operating costs and emissions. Moreover, reliable energy access can extend working hours, improve irrigation capabilities, and power cold storage facilities, all of which contribute to higher yields and reduced post-harvest losses.
Botswana’s broader energy strategy is also aligning with regional infrastructure developments. The three main fuel supply corridors—through Namibia, South Africa, and Mozambique—are part of a larger Southern African effort to enhance cross-border trade and energy security. Botswana Oil’s mapping of supply routes takes advantage of road and rail networks connecting to major ports, integrating Botswana into regional energy flows while maintaining national control over distribution. This is particularly vital given Botswana’s lack of domestic oil production; the country depends heavily on imports, making efficient and secure supply chains a national priority.
Botswana Oil’s commitment to rural energy solutions also intersects with the growing renewable energy sector in the country. While the immediate focus remains on fuel distribution, the government and private sector are investing in solar and wind projects to diversify energy sources and reduce carbon footprints. Initiatives like the agrivoltaic project at Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, which combines solar panels with crop production, exemplify the innovative potential of energy-agriculture integration. Botswana Oil’s rural energy hubs could eventually incorporate renewable energy technologies, creating hybrid models that leverage both fossil fuels and clean energy for optimal reliability and sustainability.
The financial inclusion aspect of rural energy hubs is particularly noteworthy. Access to mini-ATMs and digital financial services is a game-changer for farmers who often operate outside formal banking systems. With mobile money and digital payments becoming increasingly common in Africa, integrating these services within energy hubs can facilitate timely payments for fuel and farm inputs, access to credit, and even insurance products. This financial empowerment helps farmers manage risks better and invest confidently in their enterprises, contributing to rural economic growth.
Botswana Oil’s strategy reflects a nuanced understanding of rural development complexities. Energy access alone is not a silver bullet, but when combined with local ownership models, financial services, and partnerships with government and international organizations, it becomes a powerful tool for agricultural transformation. This inclusive approach ensures that energy solutions are not imposed from the top down but grow organically from the needs and capacities of local communities.
The stakes are high. Agriculture remains a cornerstone of Botswana’s economy and food security, and energy is its lifeblood. Botswana Oil’s rural energy expansion is more than a business strategy—it’s a vital step toward ensuring that every corner of the country, from bustling towns to isolated farms, has the energy it needs to grow. In the vast expanse of Botswana’s rural landscape, where the future of farming is being rewritten, energy is no longer a distant dream but a tangible force fueling transformation.
For Botswana’s farmers, this could mean the difference between subsistence and surplus, between vulnerability and resilience. And for Botswana itself, it marks a turning point on the long road to equitable development and energy security in Southern Africa.
