06 Apr 2026

Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship, Mr Tiroeaone Ntsima, has outlined government’s comprehensive strategy to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Botswana. 

Responding to a parliamentary question recently, Minister Ntsima detailed the policies, inter-ministerial coordination, socio-economic integration and the returns on the country’s investment promotion efforts. 

He informed Parliament that the ministry had put in place key legal frameworks and strategies to create an enabling environment for FDI, which included the Industrial Development Policy, Trade Policy, National Investment Strategy and the Export Strategy. 

The minister said ongoing Doing Business Reforms were being implemented to eliminate regulatory barriers and make Botswana more attractive to investors and such frameworks were regularly reviewed in line with reform recommendations. Key supporting institutions, he said, included the Special Economic Zones Authority (SEZA), Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC) and the Botswana Development Corporation (BDC). 

“Botswana does not currently have a single dedicated investment law. Instead, investor-related provisions are contained across various statutes and institutions,” he said. 

Mr Ntsima further highlighted several recent legislative and policy initiatives, including the VAT Amendment Act 2025, which he said modernised the tax regime by introducing taxation on digital and remote services provided by foreign suppliers to promote a level playing field. 

He indicated that the Data Protection Act of 2024, which came into force in January 2025, strengthened regulation of the digital economy and built confidence in the e-commerce sector. 

Mr Ntsima  said the Employment and Labour Relations Act of 2026 introduced updated workplace rules with a strong emphasis on workers’ rights and protections while the National Productivity and Competitiveness Policy and Strategy aimed at enhancing private sector performance by removing structural barriers and reducing regulatory burdens on businesses. 

He stressed that policy development in Botswana was rooted in broad nationwide stakeholder consultations.  

He noted that institutions such as BITC actively promoted Botswana’s trainable workforce, adherence to minimum wage standards and local employment initiatives when engaging potential investors. 

On the financial side, the minister revealed that the total cost of investment promotion initiatives by BITC from 2018 to 2024 amounted to P20 226 953 (over P20 million) while BITC facilitated investments worth P27.187 billion, created 26 904 jobs and generated export earnings of P23.331 billion. 

He further told Parliament that government was committed to continuously enhance the investment climate through evidence-based reforms and effective cross-ministerial collaboration. 

Member of Parliament for Chobe, Mr Simasiku Mapulanga, had asked the minister to state the ministry’s policies and strategies for creating a conducive environment for FDI as well as the inter-ministerial and inter-departmental policies and strategies supporting FDI promotion. 

The MP also wanted to know how Botswana’s wider socio-economic environment had been understood, considered and integrated into those policies and strategies. 

He further asked the minister to state the total cost of international travels associated with attracting foreign investors from April 2018 to April 2024, together with an assessment of whether the expenditure was cost-effective and sustainable. END