Citizen enterprises have received a boost following an agreement struck between Debswana and CEDA to facilitate participation in the diamond mining company’s supply chain and diversification ventures. This comes after the two entities signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening citizen enterprise development, local procurement, industrialisation and Botswana’s broader economic diversification agenda. Under the agreement, CEDA will provide financing and business development support to qualifying Debswana suppliers and beneficiaries of the miner’s Citizen Economic Empowerment Programme (CEEP). The partnership combines Debswana’s economic footprint, operational expertise, supply chain and ability to create anchor demand with CEDA’s experience in…
Author: Editor
There is hope for Botswana diamonds following the July announcement that the country’s immediate tariff exposure in the United States has been removed. As of July 24, 2026, Botswana exports to the US, including natural diamonds, enter duty-free and continue to benefit from preferential access under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). However, government officials say the priority now is to safeguard this position, through AGOA renewal in Washington and close monitoring of tariff developments affecting India and the global diamond value chain. On the back of the US Supreme Court ruling that struck down the US tariff system…
Emirates and South African Airways (SAA) have expanded their codeshare partnership, enabling access to nine cities and establishing the start of a reciprocal codeshare agreement between both carriers. The expanded partnership opens more destinations across central and southern Africa, simplifying connectivity for customers. Since launching their codeshare agreement, Emirates and SAA have operated on a unilateral basis, with SAA placing its code on Emirates-operated flights between Dubai and Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban, as well as interline access to 68 Emirates destinations worldwide via Dubai. With regulatory approvals secured, the new agreement will see Emirates place its code on SAA-operated…
The Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO) says its Chief Executive Officer, Keitumetse Setlang has left the organisation having served in the position since 2024 before her suspension earlier this year. Prior to her departure, the CEO had been on suspension together with the tourism body’s Board Secretary Kgotso Miles Ollyn who has also departed. “Botswana Tourism Organisation wishes to inform its valued stakeholders and members of the public that it has separated with its Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Keitumetse Setlang and Board Secretary Mr. Kgotso Miles Ollyn,” BTO said in a statement. “BTO extends its sincere appreciation to Ms Setlang and…
Botswana Development Corporation (BDC), the state-owned investment arm, is looking to exit its investment in Mashatu Nature Reserve following a bid for its stake by a newly established holding vehicle. In a recent merger notice, Competition and Consumer Authority said it has received a merger notification for the proposed acquisition of 30% of the issued shares in Mashatu Nature Reserve Proprietary Limited (MNR) by Ager Holdings Proprietary Limited. The issued share capital of MNR is 70% held by Mashatu Investments Proprietary Limited while BDC holds the remaining 30%. On the other hand, Ager Holdings is a newly incorporated company in…
The country’s exports and imports declined in the first part of the year as a result of falls in key commodities during the period, Statistics Botswana has stated. According to the data agency’s International Merchandise Trade Statistics-Monthly Digest May 2026, Botswana’s imported goods valued at P8, 065.5 million experiencing a decrease of 4.1 percent from the revised April 2026 value of P8, 408.4 million. The leading import commodity groups were fuel and diamonds at 24.5% and 19.1% of the total, respectively. “The overall fall was driven by a decrease in Vehicles & Transport Equipment and Machinery & Electrical Equipment imports…
The first warning did not come from a government report or a cybersecurity company. It came from a pensioner in a Botswana village. “I don’t understand how they knew my pension had been paid.” Her question hung in the air, followed by a silence that spoke louder than words. Around her, others slowly began sharing their own experiences. Some had received convincing phone calls from people pretending to represent trusted organisations. Others had lost money through mobile money scams. A few admitted they had become afraid to answer unfamiliar calls or open messages on their phones, worried that a single…
The Exploration Investment Company of Botswana (EICB) has announced the appointment of Olefile Mashabila as its substantive Chief Executive Officer with effect from August 1, 2026. The state-owned company stated that Mashabila assumes leadership of EICB after serving as Chief Executive Officer of the Botswana Geoscience Institute (BGI), where he led one of the most significant periods of institutional transformation in the organisation’s history. His appointment marks an important milestone for EICB as it transitions from operationalisation into full-scale implementation of its mandate to unlock Botswana’s mineral potential through exploration investment. During his tenure at BGI, Mashabila repositioned the Institute…
De Beers says rough diamond trading conditions remained challenging in the first half of 2026 despite the miner recording higher output during the period. The company stated in production report for the second quarter of 2026 that rough diamond production was 88% higher at 7.8 million carats, reflecting the impact of the extended maintenance shutdown in the comparative period at Orapa in Botswana. This was coupled with the planned mining of higher-grade ore at both Jwaneng in Botswana and Gahcho Kué in Canada. “In Botswana, production increased to 5.5 million carats, due to the impact of the extended maintenance at…
MMG Limited (MMG) says it has delivered another strong quarter, building on the momentum of a record 2025 and positioning the company well for the second half of the year. Total copper and zinc production was consistent with the same quarter last year, while favourable precious metal prices and strong output generated significant by-product credits, helping reduce C1 costs. Safety remains MMG’s first value and an operational priority. Year-to-date safety performance remains steady, with a Total Recordable Injury Frequency (TRIF) of 2.06 per million hours worked and a Significant Events with Energy Exchange Frequency (SEEEF) of 0.55 per million hours worked. For the second quarter, TRIF was…