20 Oct 2026

President Advocate Duma Boko has highlighted government’s commitment to strengthening economic relations with the European Union (EU) as Botswana seeks to attract foreign direct investment and recover from the current economic slump.

Receiving letters of credence from the EU Ambassador-designate to Botswana and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Ms Belen Uyarra, on Tuesday, President Boko said Botswana’s foreign policy had evolved over the years, with economic diplomacy emerging as a key pillar of the country’s growth and development strategy.

He said Botswana’s partnership with the EU, particularly through the economic partnership agreement, had benefited the country and the region through support in areas such as green value chains, digital transformation and biodiversity.

President Boko also commended the EU for its support to SADC, particularly in addressing budgetary challenges and other regional development needs.

While acknowledging the contribution of a Spanish-based company in establishing the Greater Gaborone traffic control system, he said Botswana hoped to attract more European companies to explore investment opportunities in the country.

President Boko further reaffirmed Botswana’s commitment to defending a rules-based international order, where relations between nations were governed by international law rather than power or unilateral interests.

“The world is at a moment in history where there is a vicious rejection of pushback against multilateralism. And so we have added our voice to the many other voices on the world stage that have articulated the principles of multilateralism,” he said.

He said Botswana and the EU should deepen collaboration in promoting and defending multilateralism.

For her part, Ms Uyarra commended Botswana for its remarkable economic and social transformation over the past six decades, expressing confidence in the country’s continued development and efforts to diversify its economy away from diamonds.

She said the EU was proud to have been part of Botswana’s development journey and remained committed to supporting its future transformation.

“ In these years, Botswana and the EU have built a solid partnership, built on values, on shared commitment to democracy, to human rights, to multilateralism, to international rules-based order,” she said.

Ms Uyarra said the EU had aligned its agenda with Botswana’s economic diversification programme and development vision.

She noted that Botswana’s strategic position along regional trade corridors presented opportunities to expand trade and investment. Through the Economic Partnership Agreement, she said, Botswana enjoyed duty-free, quota-free access to the EU market.

She pledged to strengthen the partnership, scale up trade and attract investment through a global gateway approach, while maximising opportunities presented by the agreement.

Meanwhile, President Boko also received letters of credence from Algeria’s Ambassador-designate, Mr Mourad Boukadoum, and Türkiye’s Ambassador-designate, Ms Vesime Ela BeÅŸkardeÅŸ Karagöl. ENDS