Botswana’s economy is facing potential disruption amid escalating tensions between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The recent conflict has triggered flight suspensions and delayed diamond sales tenders scheduled for early March 2026 in Dubai, a critical hub for Botswana’s diamond exports. The territorial dispute near the Strait of Hormuz intensified in late February 2026, culminating in airstrikes against the UAE. Given that the UAE ranks among Botswana’s top export markets, this conflict is...

The Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE), a government-owned market regulator, is projecting strong performance for 2026, buoyed by initiatives aimed at expanding investor participation in domestic capital markets. Building on a solid foundation laid in 2025 and robust early-year results, the BSE anticipates maintaining positive momentum. Over the course of 2025, from January 1 to December 31, the exchange reported a total market turnover of P9.3 billion across all listed instruments, an 18.1 percent increase year-over-year...

As climate volatility intensifies and global scrutiny on environmental governance increases, Botswana’s conservation model stands at a defining moment. Protecting wildlife alone is no longer sufficient; safeguarding natural capital now requires measurable systems, renewable energy transition and disciplined environmental accountability. The newly released 2025 Wilderness Botswana Impact Report positions the organisation not simply as a tourism operator, but as a long-term investor in the resilience, governance and future competitiveness of Botswana’s conservation economy. At the...

Oil prices surged over the past week, driven by escalating tensions between the United States and Iran that have roiled the global energy markets. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude climbed to $67.02 per barrel, marking a weekly gain of 2.12%, while Brent crude touched $72.48, up 2.42% for the week. This spike, though not yet a dramatic surge, underscores the fragile balance of supply and demand amid a geopolitical powder keg in the Middle East....

First National Bank of Botswana (FNBB) has once again solidified its role as a leading force in sustainable finance, approving P314 million in sustainable finance facilities for the six months ending December 31, 2025. This move, announced recently, reflects a nuanced recalibration from last year’s P495 million, shaped by a cautious response to a subdued lending environment amid persistent macroeconomic challenges. But beyond the raw figures lies a deeper story about how Botswana’s largest bank...

Following its successful hosting of the 2026 SADC Sustainable Energy Week, Botswana has officially passed on the mantle of leadership for this vital regional forum, underscoring its expanding role in Southern Africa’s energy cooperation. The event spotlighted the collective determination across Southern Africa to accelerate the energy transition while enhancing cross-border power integration. In doing so, it firmly established Botswana as a rising anchor in the region’s dynamic energy landscape. Addressing the high-level assembly, Bogolo...

Facing a slump in global demand for natural diamonds, Debswana has greenlit a strategic move to diversify into copper, platinum, and solar energy. This shift comes on the heels of a steep 46 percent drop in the company’s revenue in 2024, highlighting the urgent need for diamond-reliant producers to expand their resource base. The decision mirrors a broader restructuring trend in the diamond industry, as companies increasingly seek out more stable and lucrative commodities. The...

The Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) has been granted a budget of P294,486,620. This figure was disclosed by the Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship, Tiroeaone Ntsima, during his committee of supply address to parliament this week, outlining the 2026/2027 expenditure estimates from the Consolidated and Development Funds. Ntsima highlighted that CEDA’s allocation accounts for 33% of the total subventions, amounting to P895,101,720, distributed among the Ministry’s eleven State-Owned Enterprises, securing the largest portion among them....

Botswana has a blueprint for its economic journey, propelled by the ambitious Botswana Economic Transformation Programme (BETP), which promises to turn long-held aspirations into tangible progress. Naledi Madala, Senior Policy Advisor in the Ministry of Finance, recently underscored the significance of the BETP during a CEO Africa Roundtable breakfast seminar in Phakalane, framing it as the practical engine that will drive Vision 2036 into reality. Unlike the earlier Vision 2016, which was largely aspirational, Vision...

The latest Standard Bank Africa Trade Barometer (ATB) paints an optimistic picture of the continent’s trade landscape in 2026. For the first time since its 2022 inception, the ATB shows simultaneous improvements across all major trade-enabling infrastructure categories, power, telecommunications, roads, rails, ports, and digital border systems, in ten key African markets that together represent 68% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP. The report, which draws on firm-level surveys across Angola, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South...