16 Jun 2025

Developing a resilient manufacturing sector, strengthening agriculture, education and innovation as well as sport development are some of the avenues of cooperation to be explored subsequent to President Advocate Duma Boko’s official visit to Hungary.

This was said by President Boko in an interview on June 14, a day after he held official talks with Hungary president, Dr Tamas Sulyok and Prime Minister Viktor Okban on June 13.

President Boko said Hungary had a developed, resilient economy that did well in various sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture and agro-processing, which Botswana sought to establish and nurture domestically in order to broaden the country’s economic base.

“Hungary has a lot to impart to Botswana on agriculture and agro-prosessing and we want to raise the contribution of that sector to our gross domestic product (GDP). We have collaborated with Hungary in education and training and we are working on increasing the number of scholarships and deepening that cooperation,” President Boko said.

In addition to his delegation having explored sport and cultural exchange, he said his engagement with the Hungarian business community, facilitated by the host Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade together with the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry would facilitate potential investment.

“I had an engagement with Hungarian companies, a couple of them are already established in Botswana while some are still considering setting up. We needed to engage and then facilitate their investment in Botswana as we particularly look to build our manufacturing base, create jobs and grow the economy,” President Boko said.

He further said government sought to develop fair and equitable trade to all parties with various trading blocks across the world, including the United States of America, the European Union, China and smaller economies such as Hungary and Estonia.

“This visit was fruitful and beneficial for both countries. We want to take advantage of the opportunity the African Continental Free Trade Agreement offers and to find the right economic partners globally. Because of our democracy, peace dividend, and prudent management of resources, Botswana is well respected internationally and we need to utilise this goodwill to build partnerships that lead to a resilient economy,” he said. ENDS