13 Aug 2026

Botswana needs to shift from viewing climate change primarily as an environmental challenge and instead harness the green economy as an engine for economic growth, job creation and investment.

This emerged during a Green Economy Innovation Dialogue held in Gaborone on Tuesday, meant to explore opportunities for accelerating Botswana’s transition to a greener economy.

Participants identified renewable energy, electric mobility, green hydrogen, battery storage and waste-to-energy solutions as sectors with potential to diversify the economy and create new sources of employment and investment.

Speaking at the event, Dr Edwin Khethiwe, head of the renewable energy sector in the department of energy under the Ministry of Minerals and Energy, said Botswana was already expanding its renewable-energy capacity, with about 204 megawatts of solar capacity installed through projects in areas including Jwaneng and Maun.

He said the country also had a rooftop solar programme with a 75MW capacity cap, of which about 30MW had been installed.

Dr Khethiwe said Botswana was targeting renewable energy to contribute 50 per cent of the country’s energy mix by 2030.

However, participants noted that achieving the target would require a stronger policy and regulatory environment capable of attracting increased private-sector investment.

Among the measures proposed were standardised power purchase a

greements, greater transparency on investment opportunities, scheduled procurement opportunities for Independent Power Producers and development of a national grid code.

Electric mobility was also highlighted as an area with significant economic potential.

Dr Ecco Maje, National E-Mobility Coordinator at the Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation (BITRI), said an electric vehicle travelling between Gaborone and Francistown could consume energy costing about P100, compared with approximately P1,000 in fuel for a conventional vehicle.

This could translate into savings of about P900 per trip for motorists, he said.

Dr Maje said the e-mobility sector could also create employment through vehicle conversion and related technical services.

He said E-Mobility Botswana had trained more than 150 engineers and technicians, although fewer than 30 were currently employed in the sector.

To accelerate adoption, Dr Maje proposed measures including tax incentives, zero tariffs and VAT exemptions on electric vehicles and components, rebates and increased government procurement of electric vehicles.

The dialogue also highlighted the gap between research and commercialisation in Botswana.

Participants observed that locally developed innovations often struggled to move from research laboratories into marketable products because funding does not always follow innovators through the various stages of development.

Botswana Innovation Fund Coordinator Ms Sthembile Dingake called for stronger coordination among research institutions, innovation hubs, government and the private sector to ensure that promising ideas progress from research to commercialisation and ultimately create jobs.

Emerging opportunities in green hydrogen and battery storage were also discussed, with participants recommending that Botswana should begin with smaller pilot projects before scaling up successful initiatives.

Regional energy cooperation was identified as another potential growth area.

Panelist Mr Mosimanegape Mhaladi, an Energy Consultant with TM Energy Contractors, said regional cooperation could help position Botswana to benefit more effectively from the expanding regional energy market. ends