Botswana Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in botswana, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Selling to the Public Sector
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Selling to the Government

The Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) oversees public procurement in Botswana, ensuring regulatory compliance, setting procurement standards, monitoring performance, and providing capacity-building for procurement professionals and entities.  Public procurement is conducted at the ministry level, with each ministry and government agency responsible for its own procurement.  Ministries are required to submit annual procurement plans to the PPRA, which publishes them on its website for public access.  Contractors wishing to participate in government tenders must register with the PPRA through its Integrated Procurement Management System (IPMS).  The government is the largest consumer of goods and services in Botswana.

Traditionally, government development projects were outlined in the National Development Plan (NDP), which operated on five-year cycles as building blocks for the country’s long-term Vision 2036.  However, in June 2025, the new administration launched the Botswana Economic Transformation Program (BETP) as a strategic tool to drive the NDP (betp.gov.bw). The BETP adopts an inclusive approach, seeking input from various stakeholders, including the private sector.  It allows the public to submit project ideas, prioritizing self-funding initiatives.  The BETP is central to Botswana’s national development strategy and aligns with Vision 2036, which aims to transform Botswana into a high-income nation.

U.S. companies interested in government tenders should note that procurement requirements increasingly favor Botswana citizen-owned and locally based businesses.  Foreign companies are not required to register with the PPRA unless they operate as local entities.  The U.S. Embassy offers services to facilitate business contacts with government officials, deliver tender documents to U.S. companies, and provide information on bidding opportunities.  More details are available at https://bw.usembassy.gov.

U.S. companies bidding on government contracts may also qualify for advocacy support from the U.S. government.  The Advocacy Center, part of the U.S. Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration, coordinates interagency efforts to support U.S. exporters bidding on public sector contracts abroad.  Advocacy assistance may include direct expressions of support from the U.S. Embassy or other government agencies to foreign governments.  For more information, consult the Advocacy for Foreign Government Contracts program.

Financing Projects 

In Botswana, most large infrastructure projects are financed through government budget allocations, often supplemented by borrowing from major financial institutions such as the World Bank, African Banking Corporation, Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and soft loans from China.  A notable example is the Kazungula Bridge, funded jointly by the governments of Botswana and Zambia, along with the African Development Bank.
To alleviate financial pressure, the GoB is increasingly adopting the public-private partnership (PPP) model for project delivery.  Key projects identified for PPP implementation include the Zambezi Agro-Commercial Development Project, the Chobe-Zambezi Water Transfer Scheme, the Tshele Hill Fuel Storage Facility, and various road and rail projects.  The GoB has already begun using the PPP model for renewable energy initiatives.
In response to cash flow challenges, the GoB is also encouraging self-funded projects and soliciting project ideas through the Botswana Economic Transformation Program (BETP).  These strategies aim to diversify funding sources and accelerate infrastructure development across the country.

Multilateral Development Banks and Financing Government Sales

 

 

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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