16 Apr 2019

President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi says Botswana’s location at the heart of southern Africa and its membership to several regional bodies made the country an investment destination of choice.

Dr Masisi was speaking in Qatar Monday during his just ended two-day state visit at the invitation of its ruler, Sheik Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani.

Botswana’s strategic positioning at the heart  of southern Africa  and the fact that it remained a member in good standing to a number of regional bodies gave the country access to other markets such as

Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and Southern African Development Community (SADC).

“Additionally Botswana had signed the COMESA EAC-SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area as well as African Continental Free Trade Area with a view to expand its market to more than 1.2 billion people in the continent of Africa,” he said.

He informed the Qatar Business Association that Botswana had entered into several market access agreements with various countries which gave the country duty free access and quota free market access such as European Union and the United States of America through African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

Furthermore, Dr Masisi said Botswana had gone a step further to cajole its neighbours to ensure that the opening of new markets in the continent and beyond was supported by the necessary infrastructure.

To this end, he said projects such as the Trans-Kalahari Railway between Botswana and Namibia as well as Kazungula bridge between Botswana and Zambia had been embarked upon.

The projects, Dr Masisi said, were primarily meant not to only facilitate movement of goods and services between the three SADC countries but the entire region.

President Masisi assured the Qatar entrepreneurs that despite having a small population of just over two million people, Botswana ha a lot to offer in terms of investment opportunities. ENDS