The latest market, economy, central-bank, policy and company stories from Botswana, updated every 15 minutes. Last updated 19 October 2026.
| GDP growth (2025) | -0.7% | The economy is shrinking. |
| Inflation (2025) | 2.7% | Close to the ~2% most central banks aim for. |
| Unemployment (2025) | 24.5% | High: many people can’t find work. |
| GDP per person (2025) | $7,778 | Average output per person: a rough measure of how wealthy a country is. |
| Current account (2024) | -4.3% of GDP | Deficit: spends more abroad than it earns, so it relies on foreign money. |
| Exports (2025) | 32.0% of GDP | An open, trading economy. |
Latest official annual figures from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). Context, not a forecast or financial advice.
Dangote Industries Limited and the Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) have commended Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group) for bringing African exchanges together to expand cross-border investment opportunities through the ongoing roadshow for the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE offer.
The Botswana depositary receipts are expected to raise $500m towards the refinery’s $1.6bn IPO, which has been extended to 27 October.
Botswana has been selected to host the Southern African component of the planned initial public offering of Dangote Petroleum Refinery,
Sunday Standard BoB raises P3.1bn as improved budget outlook could ease borrowing needs The Bank of Botswana raised P3.1 billion at its September government securities auction, taking estimated net securities financing for the first half of the 2026/27 financial year to about P6.45 billion.
Sunday Standard Transport economy splits in two as tourism aviation surges The local transport sector is telling two very different stories. On the ground, motorists are buying fewer vehicles and rail freight is moving less cargo.
Sunday Standard BNF breaks ranks with UDC over P4000 minimum wage promise The Botswana National Front has opened a potentially explosive rift within the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), questioning the feasibility of the coalition’s flagship promise to introduce a P4000 minimum wage.
Sunday Standard Mining powers GDP growth in Q2:2026 An 81.7 percent surge in mining lifted real economic growth to 8.7 percent in the second quarter, masking a contraction across the rest of the economy as manufacturing, agriculture and construction weakened.
Sunday Standard Letshego seeks P800m from shareholders to cut funding costs Letshego Africa Holdings is seeking P800 million from shareholders as the Botswana-based financial services group moves to reduce costly borrowing and build a more diversified funding base.
Sunday Standard Beef crisis tests Southern Africa’s livestock supply chain Botswana’s beef industry is facing a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) crisis that is exposing the country’s deep dependence on livestock markets, processing capacity and export routes across southern Africa.
Sunday Standard Digital banking shifts Botswana lenders towards fee income Botswana’s banks are increasingly generating revenue from digital transactions and other non-interest activities as pressure on traditional lending income intensifies, according to the Bank of Botswana’s Banking Supervision Annual Report 2025.
Sunday Standard Treasury borrowing hits halfway mark as bond issuance lags The Bank of Botswana will seek P3.1 billion from domestic investors on September 24, taking government securities financing past the halfway mark for the 2026/27 financial year, although Treasury bill issuance has already reached its annual…