Category: Sunday Standard

Botswana’s ambition to establish tourism as a cornerstone of economic diversification is being constrained by a persistent investment deficit that has left the sector lagging behind regional competitors, despite the country’s globally acclaimed wildlife resources and natural attractions.

A new study by the Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis (BIDPA) argues that Botswana remains significantly less competitive than tourism-dependent economies such as the Seychelles and Mauritius, raising questions about the sector’s capacity to serve as a viable long-term alternative to diamond-led growth.

‘However, Botswana’s tourism sector is not competitive compared to other regional countries,’ the report notes, adding that ‘Countries such as Seychelles had made huge investment in the sector, and as a result, their tourism sector had made immense contribution to the country’s economic development.’

The findings highlight a widening divergence between Botswana and some of the region’s most successful tourism economies. In the Seychelles, sustained and deliberate investment over several decades has transformed tourism into the principal driver of economic activity and employment.

According to BIDPA, the Seychelles devoted approximately 34.4 percent of export earnings to tourism capital investment between 1997 and 2015. By comparison, Botswana invested just 5.8 percent over the same period. The result has been a striking disparity in economic outcomes, with tourism accounting for nearly 59 percent of GDP and employment in the island nation.

The study contends that for tourism to make a meaningful contribution to Botswana’s economic diversification agenda, policymakers must prioritise investment in human capital, reduce economic leakages and create conditions that encourage greater private-sector participation.

‘There is need for government to promote hospitality skills (from semi-skilled to highly skilled management levels), reduce tourism leakages, and promote a conducive environment for private investment,’ the report notes.

While tourism already contributes significantly to Botswana’s economy, its impact remains well below its potential. Researchers identify inadequate infrastructure, insufficient investment, uneven service standards and limited product diversification as among the principal obstacles undermining competitiveness.

‘Factors such as quality of the infrastructure including housing, beds, internet connection, roads and other factors can make tourism competitive if they are of high standard,’ the study says.

The report arrives at a critical juncture as Botswana intensifies efforts to reduce its dependence on diamonds amid growing concerns about the sustainability of mineral-driven growth. The findings suggest that tourism possesses the potential to become a far more important economic pillar, but only if substantial investments are made to improve competitiveness across the sector.

Absent such reforms, Botswana risks squandering one of its most promising opportunities to broaden its economic base, generate employment and create a more resilient post-diamond economy. The study’s central message is clear: natural endowments alone are insufficient. Without sustained investment and strategic policy intervention, tourism is unlikely to fulfil its promise as Botswana’s next engine of growth.

In the first two pieces of this series, we examined two things: the gap between Botswana’s remarkable legal progress and the daily realities of its LGBTIQ citizens, and the psychology that sits underneath the resistance to queer inclusion; the fear, the fragile masculinity, the religion weaponised against compassion.

But arguments, however well constructed, can keep the reader at a comfortable distance. They can make injustice feel structural. Something that happens to a category of people, rather than to a specific human being who once sat watching Mokaragana in a relative’s living room, quietly learning to make themselves smaller.

So in this piece, I want to do something different. I want to come down from the level of argument entirely and sit with the human cost; the cost that does not appear in court judgments or policy briefs. The cost that accumulates quietly, over years, in the life of a person who has spent their whole existence being told, in a hundred different ways, that who they are is too much, not enough, or simply wrong.

Because this is the part of the conversation Botswana consistently avoids. We debate the law. We debate religion. We debate culture. But we rarely stop long enough to ask: what is this actually doing to people?

We have become very sophisticated at debating queer rights. We have not yet become honest about queer loneliness.

When I was younger and still developing what I jokingly call my ‘rainbow feathers,’ life felt lighter.

I was a size 28 back then; yes, trust me, I truly was once a size 28 and much easier on the eye. Like many young queer people, I was discovering friendship, nightlife, attraction, heartbreak and the particular excitement of finding others like yourself in a world that often made you feel invisible.

And like many young people, we believed we had time.

I remember sitting with friends, watching older queer people move through social spaces quietly and often alone. Some were beautiful. Stylish. Soft-spoken. Mysterious. They carried wisdom in their silence. Yet many of them were single, aging and increasingly disappearing from the social scene year after year.

At the time, we pitied them. We would whisper among ourselves: ‘What happened to them?’ And with all the arrogance and optimism of youth, we would reassure ourselves: ‘This will never be us.’

But life has a painful way of humbling certainty.

As the years passed, many of us slowly began to realise something devastating: those older queer people were not lonely because they had failed at love. Many were lonely because society had failed them. The people we dated in our youth slowly disappeared into heterosexual marriages. Some became fathers and husbands. Some reinvented themselves publicly to survive socially. Some abandoned their queer identities completely in pursuit of safety, acceptance or family approval.

Others simply disappeared.

And every now and then, years later, we would hear whispers: ‘He passed away.’ ‘He died alone.’ ‘No one even knew he was sick.’ ‘No partner. No family nearby.’

The silence around queer loneliness in Botswana is profound. And it begins long before old age. It begins in childhood.

I often say I enjoyed the privilege of never really having to ‘come out.’ There was never some dramatic announcement. Yet even without words, society has always found ways to communicate to queer children that they must be careful.

I remember vividly driving with my grandfather through Gaborone when I was around ten years old. He was the person who introduced me to reading, politics and current affairs. From as young as eight, he would make me read newspaper articles and then discuss them with him afterwards; a discipline I am deeply grateful for to this day.

One day, I was reading a Friday newspaper which had the famous ‘Page 3.’ On that Friday they interview the late veteran broadcaster Mike Oliver, who spoke openly about being gay.

I remember the sudden shame that rushed through my body. Softly and quickly, I folded the newspaper closed before my grandfather could say anything. He had not spoken a single word. He had not condemned anyone. Yet somehow, at ten years old, I already understood that this was something dangerous to be associated with publicly.

That is how deeply social conditioning works. It does not wait for instruction. It simply settles into a child like weather.

I also remember visiting family in Kanye and watching Shanti-Lo performing flamboyantly on Mokaragana, one of Botswana’s most iconic music shows. The fact that Shanti-Lo came from Kanye itself made the discussion among the elders even louder.

‘Naare motho yoo Tumediso o dira eng?’

What exactly is that person doing?

The room filled with discomfort, ridicule and commentary. And quietly, without anyone directly addressing me, I learned another lesson: that whatever I was becoming was something society viewed with suspicion.

So I learned to perform. I learned to monitor my hand movements. I learned to lower my voice in certain spaces. I learned how to restrain softness. I learned how to study masculinity carefully enough to survive it.

These lessons were taught without my parents ever explicitly saying a word to me. And perhaps that is why many queer children become experts at silence long before they become adults. The education happens in living rooms, in combis, in church pews, in the spaces between words.

Nobody sits a queer child down and teaches them to hide. Society does it casually, collectively, and very effectively, without ever announcing that it has begun.

The psychological cost of this conditioning is not abstract. Years of monitoring yourself, editing your gestures, your voice, your reactions in real time produces measurable harm. Chronic anxiety. Depression. A body perpetually braced for threat. And in Botswana, where mental health remains deeply stigmatised and resources are critically under-resourced, most queer people carry this weight alone, without professional support and without language within their communities to even name what they are experiencing.

But I also want to be honest about something more tender than the clinical picture.

One memory still warms me deeply.

Years ago, I attended an IDAHOT event co-organised by BONELA and LEGABIBO at the Main Mall. Months later, an aunt mentioned that someone from church had apparently told my mother they had seen me at the event wearing high heels, a wig and red lipstick.

First of all, let me tell you this for free; this was an absolute lie, mogolo o ne a gogile lethaku motshegare. I have never appeared in that style in my life. I have absolutely nothing against it, but I am very much a jeans and All-Stars kind of person, which ironically confuses people even more.

Apparently even my form of queerness was failing to meet expectations on all sides.

But what stayed with me was my mother’s response. I asked my aunt why my mother had never confronted me about it. And she simply said: ‘Your mother said that was nonsense and that her role was to love you in whichever way you presented yourself.’

We never spoke about that incident directly. Not once. But somehow, in that silence, there was love.

Sometimes love does not announce itself. Sometimes it simply refuses to participate in your diminishment. And that refusal is everything.

I know how rare that kind of love is. I know that for many queer people in Botswana, home is not a place of safety but a place of performance where they must maintain a version of themselves that requires constant, exhausting maintenance. Where sermons at dinner tables are not quite directed at them but are absolutely meant for them. Where they are loved conditionally, accepted as long as they remain invisible enough to be comfortable for everyone else.

And some know something worse: outright rejection. Being told to leave. Being erased from the family narrative as though they had never existed. Being removed from the family WhatsApp group which in contemporary Botswana is its own particular form of social excommunication.

When the people who are supposed to love you without conditions attach conditions, something breaks in a person. Quietly. Not always visibly. But permanently.

Years later, I relocated to Kenya for work. During that period, I was in a long-term relationship with someone who, even today, I still believe may have been the true love of my life, lets call him NM.

My family had seen him around several times, enough to know he was more than just a friend. My mother was critically ill and hospitalised during this period. One day, I received a phone call from him. He said very little before handing the phone to someone else.

It was my mother on the other end.

My family had reached out to him directly, and there he was, beside them during one of the most painful moments of our lives. My heart melted completely.

My parents and extended family loved him deeply. Quietly. Naturally. Completely. We never formally discussed our relationship, but my father would randomly call him just to check on him, or invite him over to collect seshabo at home.

That tenderness remains one of the greatest gifts my family has ever given me. And I hold it knowing that many queer people will never receive anything like it.

Legal rights give people protection. They do not give people belonging. And belonging is what human beings cannot survive without.

Which is perhaps why heartbreak within queer life can feel uniquely isolating. Because when relationships collapse, many queer people are left carrying grief in silence. Who do you turn to when society barely recognises your love to begin with? Which spaces allow queer heartbreak to exist fully and honestly? Even grief itself can feel hidden.

And this is the part of the queer experience that rarely enters our national conversation. Not the politics. Not the litigation. But the loneliness of growing up without ever seeing a queer future reflected back at you. Without seeing elderly queer couples growing old together openly. Without seeing queer families living freely. Without seeing enough evidence that permanence is even possible.

How do you dream about a future you have never witnessed? How do you visualise growing old with your partner when society has consistently told you that your love is temporary, immoral or impossible? For many queer people, survival became easier to imagine than permanence. The horizon shortened, not because of personal failure, but because nobody had ever shown them that a longer view was available.

The current marriage equality case involving two lesbian women feels emotionally significant precisely because of this. Whether people agree with same-sex marriage or not, the case has forced Botswana to confront a question queer people have quietly carried for years: do queer people deserve the right to dream about permanence too? Not just survival. Not just tolerance. Not just existing quietly at the edges of society. But love. Family. Stability. Legacy. Home.

Most queer people are not asking for anything extraordinary. They are asking for what everyone else already has; the right to love openly, age with dignity, and not disappear quietly into loneliness.

I want to be careful, as I close this piece, not to leave you with only the weight. Because that would not be the full truth, and it would not honour the people I am writing about.

The full truth is that queer people in Botswana are among the most resilient, creative and courageously alive people I have encountered across over thirteen years of this work. They have built networks of chosen family where biological family failed them. They have created spaces of laughter, culture and genuine joy in circumstances that offered very little permission to thrive. They have loved fiercely, organised tirelessly and survived conditions that would have broken many people entirely.

That resilience is real and deserves to be named.

But resilience is not a substitute for justice. The fact that queer people have survived extraordinary pressure does not make that pressure acceptable. Celebrating the survival of people who should never have been placed in survival conditions to begin with is a very particular kind of cruelty dressed as admiration.

We do not need to be celebrated for surviving. We need the conditions that make survival necessary to finally change.

As I grow older, I think often about those queer elders we once judged so carelessly in our youth. I think about how much loneliness they carried privately. How much courage it took simply to exist in a society that offered them almost no roadmap for the future. I think perhaps many of them were not failures.

Perhaps they were survivors. Perhaps they were carrying the emotional consequences of a society that denied them the possibility of ordinary love.

Today, I find myself holding onto cautious hope. Hope that younger queer people in Botswana may inherit softer realities. Hope that queer couples may one day stop having to disappear into secrecy to survive. Hope that queer children growing up right now may one day imagine futures bigger than endurance.

And if you are a queer person reading this, perhaps in private, perhaps with the particular mix of recognition and grief that comes from seeing your experience named in public:

Botswana Railways has been plunged into turmoil after workers affiliated with the Botswana Transport and General Workers Union (BTGWU) embarked on industrial action over allegations that deductions made from employees’ salaries have not been remitted to the institutions for which they were intended.

The strike has intensified scrutiny of the state-owned railway operator, with workers accusing management of deducting money from their monthly salaries while allegedly failing to transfer the funds to pension schemes, savings cooperatives, medical aid providers and financial institutions.

At the heart of the dispute are claims that pension contributions deducted from employees’ salaries have not been paid to the MINET Pension Fund for more than two years. Workers fear the alleged failure to remit contributions may have jeopardised their retirement savings and pension records, potentially affecting hundreds of employees who rely on the fund to secure their future after retirement.

Union members say the situation has generated widespread anxiety among workers who have continued to see pension deductions reflected on their payslips despite concerns that the money has not reached the pension fund.

The controversy extends beyond pensions.

Employees also allege that repayments and savings contributions deducted for BRSACCOS have not been remitted for more than eight months. Workers argue that the alleged non-payment has affected their ability to access services offered by the cooperative and has disrupted their financial planning despite deductions continuing to be made through payroll.

Further concerns have emerged over medical aid and funeral cover contributions. According to workers, deductions intended for these services have allegedly remained unpaid for at least three months, leaving employees worried that they could face difficulties accessing healthcare or funeral benefits during times of need.

The dispute has also exposed concerns involving personal and mortgage loans. Workers allege that repayments deducted from their salaries have not been forwarded to financial institutions for approximately three months, potentially exposing employees to penalties, arrears, damaged credit records and additional financial costs.

The allegations have fuelled growing anger among employees who insist they have honoured their obligations through payroll deductions and should not be punished for failures beyond their control.

The strike now places Botswana Railways under significant pressure to account for the missing remittances and provide assurances that workers’ money is secure. Union members are demanding immediate transparency regarding the status of the deductions and a clear plan to settle all outstanding payments owed to third-party institution.

Employees argue that salary deductions represent money earned by workers and held temporarily by the employer for a specific purpose. Failure to remit those funds, they contend, undermines confidence in the employer and places workers’ livelihoods, retirement security and financial reputations at risk.As the standoff continues, rail operations face uncertainty while pressure mounts on Botswana Railways management to explain what happened to the deducted funds and how affected employees will be protected from the consequences.

Botswana imported food and beverages worth P1.04 billion in February 2026, a decline of 17.7 percent from the P1.26 billion recorded in January, according to the latest figures released by Statistics Botswana.

The report shows that food and beverage imports accounted for 10.5 percent of the country’s total imports of P9.84 billion during the month. Non-food imports made up the remaining 89.5 percent.

Beverages, spirits and vinegar remained the largest food and beverage import category, valued at P201.5 million and contributing 19.4 percent of total food and beverage imports. Cereals followed at P150.4 million, representing 14.5 percent of the total, while miscellaneous edible preparations accounted for P100 million or 9.6 percent.

The value of beverage imports increased by 10.9 percent from January’s P181.7 million, reinforcing the category’s position as Botswana’s leading food and beverage import.

Within the beverages category, beer made from malt was the most imported product, accounting for P64.8 million or 32.2 percent of beverage imports. Other fermented beverages, including cider, perry, mead and sake, contributed P50.6 million or 25.1 percent. Other non-alcoholic beverages and sweetened or flavoured waters followed with contributions of 13.0 percent and 10.2 percent respectively.

Cereal imports, which had surged to P395 million in January, fell sharply to P150.4 million in February, a decline of 61.9 percent. Despite the drop, cereals remained the second-largest food import category.

The cereal basket was dominated by maize imports worth P86.5 million, accounting for 57.5 percent of cereal imports. Semi-milled or wholly milled rice followed at P40 million, representing 26.6 percent, while wheat imports stood at P22 million or 14.6 percent.

Other notable import categories included preparations of cereals, flour, starch or milk at P81.1 million, sugars and sugar confectionery at P77.3 million, and preparations of vegetables, fruit and nuts at P72.3 million. Dairy products contributed P60.1 million, while prepared animal fodder accounted for P53.3 million.

Statistics Botswana noted that although food and beverage imports declined month-on-month, beverages, cereals and processed food products continued to dominate the country’s import basket, underlining Botswana’s continued reliance on imported food products to meet domestic demand.

Letshego Africa Holdings’ decision to withdraw from five African markets follows years of mounting losses that ultimately undermined one of the lender’s most ambitious growth bets.

Documents circulated to shareholders ahead of a vote on the proposed disposal of subsidiaries in Ghana, Tanzania, Nigeria, Rwanda and Uganda show the operations generated a combined loss after tax of P519.5 million in the year ended December 2025, despite producing operating income of P1.46 billion.

The businesses held assets worth P3.82 billion and carried a net asset value of P819.9 million at year-end, highlighting the scale of the investment that failed to translate into sustainable returns.

The figures offer fresh insight into the financial pressures behind Letshego’s decision to retreat from markets that were once central to its pan-African expansion strategy.

Earlier this year, the Botswana Stock Exchange-listed microfinance lender announced an agreement to sell the subsidiaries to Axian Digital Venture Holding and Management Limited for US$62.7 million, equivalent to about P850 million. The transaction forms part of a broader restructuring programme aimed at improving profitability and strengthening the group’s balance sheet.

In its shareholder circular, Letshego attributes the poor performance of the businesses to a combination of foreign exchange volatility, elevated inflation, regulatory shifts and rising credit impairments across several East and West African markets.

The disposal is significant. The assets being sold account for nearly one-fifth of the group’s consolidated asset base, marking a decisive shift away from the continental expansion model that drove Letshego’s growth for more than a decade.

Management says the exit will enable the group to redeploy capital towards higher-return markets, improve capital efficiency and bolster liquidity. Sale proceeds are expected to be directed towards debt reduction, working capital requirements and investment in core operations.

Yet the strategic reset comes with a financial penalty. Letshego estimates the transaction will result in an accounting loss of approximately P281 million.

Botswana has recorded the lowest suspected digital fraud rate in Africa according to the findings from TransUnions H1 2026 update. However fraudsters are already changing tactics. The Frauds Trends Report update by the organization found out that among all the African countries analysed in 2025, they were 0.9 percent of transaction attempts involving consumers which were suspected to be digital fraud in Botswana.

This is below the global average of 3.8 percent and represents the lowest rate among the African countries analyzed. However, according to the report, despite this Year-over-Year(YoY) decline in suspected digital fraud for Botswana and globally, fraudsters continue to adapt by turning to high-trust, scam-based tactics that can by-pass traditional safeguards.

‘Botswana has not experienced widespread fraud, but the nature of fraud risk is beginning to shift. As digital services become more formal and widely trusted, fraudsters are increasingly targeting these environments,’

‘This is a natural stage of digital growth and highlights the need to strengthen protections as confidence in digital services expand,’ said Amrit Reddy, Senior Director of Fraud Product Management at TransUnion Africa.

The report suggests that digital fraud risk is highest at account creation in Botswana. Despite the fact that suspected fraud rates appear lower compared to 2024, risk remains elevated at specific points in the consumer life cycle, particularly where criminals attempt to create or manipulate identities in Botswana. The highest rate of suspected digital fraud in 2025 across the consumer life cycle occurred at account creation(2.6 percent), followed by account login(0.8 percent) and during financial transactions (0.5 percent).

In addition, Botswana’s fraud profile reflects an early – to -mid stage digital market where onboarding and account creation remain the primary points of exposure. According to the report, this mirrors broader global and Africa-wide trends in markets where digital identity systems are still evolving.

‘Experience from other countries shows that the phase does not last indefinitely. As consumers build longer term digital relationships with banks, retailers and service providers, fraud risk tends to move beyond onboarding toward login and account access, often through impersonation or credentials misuse,’ said Reddy.

‘The key takeaway for Botswana is timing. Strengthening onboarding and early-stage identity checks can help prevent more complex fraud patterns emerging as digital adoption accelerates. Early safeguards can make a meaningful difference as the digital ecosystem matures,’ she added.

Across Africa, suspected digital fraud risk varies by industry, reflecting local user behaviour and where criminals see opportunities. For attempted transactions involving consumers in Botswana, retail recorded the highest suspected digital fraud attempt rate in 2025 at 1.9 percent, followed by Gaming(online sports betting, poker etc) at 1.8 percent and financial services at 1.1 percent.

As fraud tactics evolve, TransUnion has advised consumers to help reduce their risk by safeguarding personal information, remaining cautious of unsolicited calls and messages and regularly reviewing their credit information for suspicious activity. Organizations have also been advised to ensure that their fraud strategies extend beyond compliance to actively protect trust across the entire consumer lifestyle, particularly account creation at points where criminals attempt to exploit established relationships through scams and impersonation.

‘Botswana has the advantage of foresight. The global fraud playbook is already written. The opportunity now is to act before the next phase arrives,’ cautioned Reddy.

TransUnion is a global information and insights company with over 13 000 associates operating in more than 30 countries and territories including, Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Eswatini and Zambia.

Botswana’s fight against inflation appeared largely successful in 2025, with consumer price growth falling below the central bank’s target range for a second consecutive year. Yet beneath the headline numbers, persistent increases in food prices continued to erode household purchasing power, particularly among lower-income families.

According to Statistics Botswana’s Consumer Price Index review for 2025, average annual inflation eased to 2.7 percent from 2.8 percent in 2024 and well below the 12.1 percent peak recorded in 2022 during the global inflation shock.

The outcome placed inflation beneath the Bank of Botswana’s medium-term objective range of 3 percent to 6 percent, underscoring a sharp reversal from the price pressures that followed the pandemic and supply-chain disruptions.

However, the moderation in overall inflation masked growing pressure in essential household spending categories.

Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages inflation accelerated to 5.4 percent in 2025 from 4.8 percent the previous year, making it one of the largest contributors to overall price growth. Statistics Botswana noted that sustained increases in food costs could disproportionately affect poorer households and potentially slow progress in reducing poverty.

The steepest increases were recorded in fruits, coffee, tea and cocoa, milk products, and fish. Fruit prices rose by 12 percent during the year, while coffee, tea and cocoa prices increased by 13.9 percent.

The low inflation environment was partly supported by government intervention. Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels inflation contracted by 1.4 percent following reductions in electricity and water tariffs, helping to offset rising prices in other sectors.

Yet emerging trends suggest inflation risks have not disappeared. Tradeable inflation, which captures goods exposed to international markets and exchange-rate movements, increased to 3.5 percent from 3.0 percent in 2024, indicating growing imported price pressures.

The data highlights a widening gap between macroeconomic indicators and household experience. While Botswana has succeeded in restoring overall price stability, the persistence of food inflation suggests the benefits have not been evenly felt across the economy.

Botswana’s fiscal savings account has staged a remarkable recovery after months of decline, with fresh Bank of Botswana figures showing a sharp rebound in the Government Investment Account (GIA) during March.

The latest central bank financial statements show that the GIA’s Pula Fund component surged to P8.66 billion at the end of March, up from just P106.5 million in February and P1.16 billion in January. The turnaround follows a prolonged erosion of the account that had seen it fall from P6.54 billion in March last year to a low of just over P100 million a month ago.

The rebound comes at a time when Botswana is grappling with shrinking diamond revenues, widening fiscal pressures and slower economic growth, making the performance of government savings and reserves a closely watched indicator.

While the Bank of Botswana does not provide detailed explanations in its monthly statements, the movement appears linked to changes in the valuation of foreign reserve assets and exchange-rate fluctuations that influence the central bank’s balance sheet.

The recovery in the GIA coincided with a jump in total shareholder funds, which rose to P43.4 billion in March from P34.8 billion in February. The currency revaluation reserve also increased to P18.74 billion from P17.66 billion over the same period.

Foreign assets, which underpin Botswana’s external reserves, climbed to P55.95 billion from P55.26 billion in February and P47.43 billion in December.

However, the recovery was not reflected in reserves measured in United States dollars. Foreign exchange reserves declined to US$3.91 billion in March from US$4.01 billion in February, suggesting that currency movements continued to weigh on the value of reserve holdings.

For government, the rebound offers a rare bright spot amid continuing pressure on public finances.

Botswana has enlisted the services of a United States-based consulting firm to help market and attract investors for an ambitious energy infrastructure programme worth nearly US$800 million (about P10.8 billion).

Documents seen by Sunday Standard which were recently filed with the United States Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) reveal that the Government of Botswana has engaged Fang Consulting LLC, a North Carolina-based and solely owned by American businessman Eric Li, to advance Botswana’s development and investment interests.

Reports indicate that Fang Consulting operates as a subcontractor for the Future Trends Group (FTG). FTG is an international growth acceleration organization led by Farzam Kamalabadi, who was appointed as a special envoy for international relations and economic development for Botswana by President Duma Boko in April 2025.

FARA Registration documents also show that Fang Consulting registered with FARA on January 15, 2026 as a foreign agent representing the Government of Botswana , identified Botswana as its foreign principal. The company stated that its business involves ‘consulting and looking for strategic partnerships’ and foreign investment opportunities.

‘As the Director of the Registrant, I will engage directly with U.S. government officials (including dfc and state Department staff) and congressional offices to advocate for U.S. investment in Botswana; I will also facilitate commercial and diplomatic meetings for the foreign principal to promote economic development and bilateral cooperation,’ Li states in his filing with FARA.

He added that; ‘I will engage in communications with U.S. Executive Branch officials (including the DFC and Department of State) and Legislative Branch staff to advocate for increased U.S. economic engagement with Botswana; I will disseminate information regarding investment opportunities in Botswana’s mining and energy sectors to encourage U.S. government support and financing for these projects, aiming to strengthen bilateral commercial ties.’

The filing comes as Botswana seeks billions in foreign capital to finance a sweeping energy expansion programme that includes solar farms, battery storage facilities, transmission networks and cross-border electricity interconnectors designed to turn the country from a net power importer into a regional energy exporter.

The documents accompanying Fang Consulting LLC filing with FARA and submitted by the Botswana Government show that at the centre of the lobbying effort is a portfolio of projects submitted alongside the FARA registration.

The proposal, prepared by the Government of Botswana through Ministry of Minerals and Energy, outlines eight major energy projects with a combined estimated cost of US$799.89 million, equivalent to approximately P10.8 billion at current exchange rates.

The largest component is a planned 1.5-gigawatt solar photovoltaic programme, which government says could eventually be expanded to 8GW depending on market demand. The project alone carries an estimated price tag of US$300 million and would be implemented through Independent Power Producers (IPPs) under long-term power purchase agreements with Botswana Power Corporation.

The government is also seeking US$200 million for a 500MW Battery Energy Storage System aimed at storing surplus renewable energy and stabilising the national grid.

Other projects include the Botswana-South Africa 400kV interconnector valued at US$150 million, the Botswana-Zambia interconnector worth US$50 million, the Morupule-Jindal transmission line estimated at US$49 million, and a further US$50 million earmarked for upgrades to the national transmission and substation network.

According to the proposal, Botswana currently has installed generation capacity consisting mainly of coal-fired power stations and diesel peaking plants, while demand continues to rise. Authorities also want renewable energy to account for up to 50 percent of the country’s energy mix by 2030.

The documents state that the projects would attract foreign direct investment, create jobs, improve energy reliability and position Botswana as a net exporter of electricity within the Southern African region.

The filing states that activities on behalf of Botswana could include emails, publications and press releases targeted at public officials, legislators and other audiences.

The proposal by Botswana notes that 1.5GW of solar projects are already under development and that the country intends to significantly increase renewable generation capacity over the coming years.

Officials envision a future where Botswana not only meets domestic electricity demand but exports power across the Southern African Power Pool through expanded transmission networks linking South Africa, Zambia, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

The interconnector projects are specifically designed to strengthen regional energy trade while reducing the country’s vulnerability to supply disruptions.

On its website, FARA says Botswana currently has two active filings which reveal a split in the nature of principals.

‘The Government of Botswana has engaged Fang Consulting LLC for strategic consulting, indicating an interest in official-level guidance and advisory services within the U.S. sphere,’ sys FARA.

It further states that; ‘Separately, Duma Boko, identified as a political party figure, has retained Dickens and Madson Canada Inc. for lobbying, suggesting an effort by non-state actors or (political) figures to advance their interests in the U.S capitol,’ it says.

Botswana Vaccine Institute’s (BVI) struggle to meet growing regional demand for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines is beginning to exact a commercial cost, with South Africa increasingly turning to alternative suppliers after years of relying on the state-owned producer.

The shift shines a spotlight on longstanding capacity constraints at BVI, which has battled production disruptions, aging infrastructure and maintenance challenges at a time when demand for livestock vaccines across Southern Africa continues to rise.

South Africa’s Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen recently cited production delays and export interruptions at BVI as reasons for sourcing vaccines from Argentina’s Biogénesis Bagó and Turkey’s Dollvet. The decision followed recurring supply shortages during a period when South Africa was battling FMD outbreaks.

For Botswana, the development raises concerns about BVI’s ability to defend its dominant position in the regional vaccine market. South Africa is BVI’s largest customer, purchasing 1.6 million doses during the 2025/26 financial year.

The problem appears to be one of scale. While demand from Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries is estimated at about 43 million doses annually, BVI’s maximum production capacity stands at roughly 25 million doses.

Operational challenges have compounded the problem. The institute has repeatedly had to suspend production for sterilisation and maintenance, while aging equipment has become increasingly expensive to maintain. Some spare parts are no longer readily available, limiting operational efficiency and affecting output.

The numbers tell the story. In the 2023/24 financial year, BVI produced 14.26 million monodoses of blended FMD vaccines, missing its target of 20.9 million doses by nearly a third.

The institute is betting on a P300 million expansion project, due for completion in 2027, to reverse the trend. Until then, however, BVI faces the risk of losing market share as regional buyers prioritise reliable supply over historical relationships, potentially weakening one of Botswana’s most successful export-oriented state enterprises.