What is the role of BITC, and how does it operate?

The Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC) is a government agency with considerable operational independence. You might call us a parastatal—primarily government-funded, but with about 26 percent of our operations self-financed.

Our core mandate is to rally the world to see Botswana as the ideal investment destination in Africa. We pursue that on many fronts. Internationally, we serve as the support voice behind the president when he engages with global audiences. I was in Las Vegas recently during one of his visits to the United States—doing the “magic behind.” Domestically, we mobilize investment and facilitate meaningful joint ventures between foreign and local investors. We believe in a “grow together” model: if benefits are skewed to one side, the arrangement will not last.

Once investors are ready to establish operations, BITC functions as the national one-stop shop. Our BOSSC (Botswana One Stop Service Centre) consolidates key government services—immigration, labor, land, business permits—under a single roof. Officers from those ministries are seconded to us with full authority to make decisions. That is how we have achieved an approval rate of more than 98 percent for applications processed through our systems. Botswana is still digitizing, but in the meantime, we have built a model of centralized efficiency that works while that transition is underway.

How does Botswana promote itself to the world?

We realized that Botswana is not well known globally. People may know the Okavango Delta—it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site—but they don’t always know it’s in Botswana. Some even think Botswana is a province of another country.

Out of that realization came the Brand Botswana mandate. It operates on two levels. First, we run domestic programs to rally our people around shared values and ethics, peacefulness, pride, responsibility.  Our people, for example, are part of our national character, but we also reinforce it through campaigns to make sure the welcome visitors receive aligns with who we are.

Second, we take that message abroad. We run awareness campaigns around our strategic products—natural diamonds, our premium organic beef, our unique tourism. For example, there’s been a global shift toward lab-grown diamonds. These are often marketed as “clean” and “green,” but the truth is they use mined materials like graphite, methane gas, and metal catalysts. We’re investing in campaigns to inform consumers: natural diamonds are the result of a geological miracle over millions of years. You can’t replicate that in a lab and call it the same.

What are your focus areas for 2025 and beyond?

We’ve just confirmed our new five-year strategy, and we’re shifting from generic investment promotion—gathering people in a room and giving a presentation—to a project development model. That means preparing strategic projects fully, with all enablers in place, and then presenting them directly to investors.

For example, in solar energy, we’ll have the land and clearances ready. In agriculture, we’ll know where the water is, what incentives are available. We’ll be able to say: this is shovel-ready, are you interested?

We also host the annual Global Expo Botswana, which is a business-to-business platform for local producers and international buyers. This year, we’re adding the Pula Investment Summit. Investors will stand before the presidency and key stakeholders and announce their commitments. That public visibility builds confidence for others to follow.

Our target for 2025 is to attract 10 billion pula in FDI, more than double our recent annual averages of around 4 billion. The government also aims to create 100,000 jobs annually over the next five years. It’s ambitious, but we believe the shift to project-led promotion can help us get there.

What sectors present the greatest opportunity for investors?

Our priorities are clearly laid out in our Vision 2036 document. Energy is high on the list. Botswana has long been reliant on coal—we have over 200 billion tons of unexploited reserves—but we’re also committed global citizens. We’re now building a cleaner energy mix with a strong focus on renewables.

In manufacturing, we focus on three areas: value addition using our own raw materials (like copper, diamonds, soda ash), cross-border value chain linkages (for example, producing ignition wiring harnesses for South Africa’s auto industry), and import substitution for goods we consistently bring in.

Agriculture is another major area. Historically, it was our main GDP contributor until diamonds took the lead. But we still import large volumes of milk, despite being renowned for our beef. That tells us there are missed opportunities. We’ve also made a major leap into citrus, planting over a million trees in one site, the largest in sub-Saharan Africa. Exports are already going to the EU, Canada, UAE, and South Africa.

ICT is growing fast. We’ve invested heavily in infrastructure and are seeing results in outsourcing and call centres. Our competitive connectivity costs and English-speaking workforce help. One centre employing over 3,000 people is launching soon.

Tourism is also diversifying. Yes, we’re unmatched in wilderness and safari experiences, but we want to attract visitors to Gaborone as well, for nightlife, cuisine, and urban culture. And we’re working on our air access strategy to attract long-haul flights from markets like the US and South America.

How is Botswana shaping its international narrative?

We want the world to understand that everything built in Botswana is the result of deliberate national effort. At independence, we inherited very little from colonial times. What makes us different is that we nationalized our resources—diamonds belong to the nation, water belongs to the people. That is why Botswana is regarded as a global benchmark in responsible resource management.

We are also working to differentiate ourselves at the product level. Our beef is organic, hormone-free, and unmatched in quality. Our diamonds are natural, ethical, and traceable. Our tourism is immersive and respectful. And underpinning all of this is a commitment to governance and democratic principles—values that have defined Botswana from the very beginning.

What’s your view on the US-Botswana relationship?

The United States is very important to us. It is the benchmark currency market and a global innovation leader. We also see it as a source of strategic partnerships. But there are challenges—like the 37 percent tariff imposed on Botswana’s diamonds in the U.S. That’s extremely steep, especially for a country that supplies critical raw materials to global value chains. We believe the U.S. should engage with African nations like Botswana differently—not as a threat or competitor, but as an essential partner.

When you look at Africa’s share of global trade—just 3.5 percent—and global FDI, only 2.7 percent, it’s clear something isn’t working. We need deeper engagement, and we need to build American investor confidence in Botswana. We are a safe, democratic, business-friendly jurisdiction. There is nothing to fear.

What’s your message to American investors and tourists?

Here is Botswana—your leading and most attractive investment destination in Africa. We have spent decades investing in governance, safety, and global responsibility. Our police force ranks among the best in the world. Our democracy is stable. Our people are welcoming.

Yes, we have been overly dependent on diamonds, but diversification is now our top priority. And you cannot diversify without building industries. That is why we are open to partnerships in energy, agriculture, technology, tourism—across the board.

To American investors and tourists: come fearlessly. Visit us first, get to know our people, and you will soon ask yourself: why didn’t I come sooner?