BDC targets P1.4bn investments in new repositioned strategy
Mbongeni Mguni | Monday April 6, 2026 06:00
The Corporation’s recently released interims indicate that priority sectors will include agriculture, health, manufacturing, renewable energy, financial services, real estate, tourism, creative economy, education, media, and technology.
Directors noted that in the last five years, the BDC had disbursed P1.4 billion to fund projects in sectors such as manufacturing, financial services, real estate, tourism, and agri-business.
“There is a need for BDC to reposition itself within the increasingly complex economic environment, characterised by heightened national fiscal pressures, changing sectoral dynamics, and a need for stronger domestic engines of growth beyond its traditional economic pillars,” directors said. “In this context, BDC is transforming into a more purpose-driven and impact-oriented investment company, beyond a sole focus on financial sustainability. “BDC will play a more catalytic role by mobilising capital, supporting strategic sectors and partnering with both domestic and international investors and operators.”
Directors said that, in pursuit of this transformation, the Corporation would focus on driving economic diversification by reducing reliance on traditional sectors and, instead, strengthening economic sovereignty by building domestic value chains, developing high-impact ecosystems, and partnering with global operators and funders to bring global expertise into Botswana.
“This will be achieved by transforming subsidiaries within the prioritised sectors, including agribusiness, manufacturing, healthcare, energy, and tourism, as well as onboarding high-value quality investment projects, including blue-chip projects,” the directors said.
Briefing journalists last week, BDC managing director, Oteng Keabetswe, revealed that the Corporation had decided to pause investment activities outside the country and focus solely on home soil in order to address growing challenges in the local economy.
He said the Corporation’s strategic thinking was focused on building new engines of growth in the economy and creating decent, sustainable jobs.
“We're looking to position our country competitively, regionally, and globally in terms of what can come out of it,” he said. “We're also looking to support inclusive and sustainable development in the country. “What this means in more granular terms is that we're looking to transform BDC into what you would call a mega-company, and basically, we are designing this business to perform and deliver results.”
The BDC is currently implementing a one-year turnaround strategy, which is expected to pave the way for its upcoming 2027-2032 Corporate Strategy.
“We are looking to build our strategic priorities in line with the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme, which is about looking to bring new ways of thinking to legacy problems that we have as a country,” Keabetswe said.
The MD told BusinessWeek that the Corporation’s role in the BETP also involves mobilising capital for the transformation initiative that seeks to generate as much as P514 billion in cumulative investment by 2036 to accelerate economic diversification and unlock high-growth sectors.
“We are actively pursuing mobilisation of international capital, and we are working on an aggressive capital mobilization strategy, which we believe will show fruit in the near future. “As soon as that is penned down, we will come out as transparently as we have committed ourselves to, in terms of where we mobilise the capital, at what cost, and how we intend on deploying that capital in the country,” he said.
Established in 1970, the BDC is designed to be the government’s primary agent for catalysing economic diversification through both equity and debt investments in targeted sectors. The Corporation had assets of just under P6 billion by December 2025.