30 Oct 2025

The United Kingdom (UK) government has pledged  support to Botswana’s Economic Transformation Programme (BETP) that aims to accelerate the country’s growth and drive national development.

Through the programme, the government is promoting economic diversification which will eventually create new opportunities for investment.

The British high commissioner to Botswana, Mr Giles Enticknap said in an interview during his visit to Maun, that the UK government and Botswana have a long standing relationship on various international matters hence the commitment to support transformation that the country endeavoured.

Following the Botswana’s democratic transition, he said they were reviving and refining and willing to elevate the partnerships on various areas of science, innovation, education, security, energy and many more.

UK, he said was looking forward to bring responsible investment to Botswana with a view to facilitating growth and diversifying the economy saying that the country’s economy relied heavily on diamonds.

 He however  appreciated that other sectors like tourism and agriculture were emerging as potential investment areas.

For the second time this year, he said they had engaged the UK investors about how they could bring responsible green UK investment into Botswana to help diversify the economy and stimulate employment opportunities.

He also appreciated that the vice president, Ndaba Gaolathe recently visited UK where he engaged with some high-level investors exploring partnerships opportunities in support of economic diversification.

 “We are much willing to support the country’s BETP which aims to reshape the economic landscape, attract investment and position the country as an economic hub. We believe that by bringing potential investors across Botswana including the northern side can help stimulate job creation, expand opportunities for Batswana as well as lead to mutual economic benefit to both nations,” he added.

Mr Enticknap highlighted that Botswana was an attractive destination for foreign investment because of its stable political environment, vigorous incentives and strong governance. Botswana, he said also had maintained peaceful environment providing a conducive and secure setting for businesses to thrive. 

“Navigating the business landscape in a foreign country can be a daunting task but here the country offered excellent opportunities for investment”.

Mr Enticknap also noted that UK government was interested in supporting Botswana’s energy transition specifically in renewable energy and green technologies to help meet its Vision 2036 goals.

The Botswana ‘vision energy goals for 2036 include reaching 50 per cent of the energy mix from renewable sources and achieving universal access to electricity by 2030.

The UK private sector, he said, was also excited about how they could support the country renewable energy development to reach 50 per cent by 2030 through partnerships and financial initiatives to ensure energy reached the rest of the population who did not benefit from clean energy. ENDS