Botswana, Nigeria seek to expand trade under AfCFTA
Pauline Dikuelo | Monday August 17, 2026 06:00
Speaking during the Nigeria Trade Mission to Botswana, Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC) Export Promotion Manager Calvin Ketshabetswe said trade between the two countries remained small but diversified, with significant potential for growth in both directions.
According to figures presented during the engagement, Botswana's exports to Nigeria declined from about $1.4 million in 2023 to approximately $147,000 in 2024. Key products traded include medicaments, wooden office furniture, hair and beauty products, woven fabrics, human hair and wigs, and perfumes.
Ketshabetswe said emerging export opportunities for Botswana included wooden office furniture, raw hides and skins, leather, electrical parts and machinery, and vitamins and related products.
He said the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) could provide an important platform for expanding trade between the two markets.
“Botswana and Nigeria have both gazetted provisional schedules of tariff concessions, enabling preferential treatment under AfCFTA rules of origin,” Ketshabetswe said.
He explained that eligible goods could enter the respective markets at reduced or zero tariff rates once the applicable rules of origin were met and the required certification was obtained.
Ketshabetswe further highlighted Botswana's strategic position within Southern Africa, saying the country could serve as a gateway into the 16-member SADC region and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU).
“Nigerian manufacturers and agro-processors can use Botswana as a production or distribution hub to reach Southern Africa under preferential terms, whilst Botswana companies gain regional access to ECOWAS through Nigeria,” he said.
Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment Head of Trade, Rachel George, said the low level of bilateral trade currently amounted to only a few hundred thousand dollars annually, highlighting significant room for expansion.
She said Nigeria's exports to Botswana stood at about $363,000 in 2023, with packaged medicaments among the leading products.
Other products, including palm oil and textiles, also feature in the trading relationship, indicating existing pockets of commercial activity despite the relatively limited overall volumes.
“The low trade figures, however, have not diminished the strategic importance both countries attach to the relationship. Instead, Botswana and Nigeria are increasingly positioning themselves as gateways to their respective regional markets,” George said.
For Botswana, Nigeria provides an entry point into the large West African market, particularly the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which represents a consumer market of more than 200 million people.
The engagements further highlighted opportunities that could be explored by both countries, including agro-processing, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, financial technology and logistics.
George said Nigeria is also positioning itself as an investment destination for Botswana companies seeking to expand their operations across Africa. She said Nigeria offers investment opportunities across six priority areas, which comprise agro-processing, manufacturing, the digital economy, energy and infrastructure, solid minerals, textiles, leather, and fashion.
Specific opportunities include cocoa, cassava, and beverage processing; pharmaceutical and consumer-goods manufacturing; fintech, e-commerce and health technology; as well as power, logistics and cold-chain infrastructure.
In addition, Nigeria is also seeking investment in its solid minerals sector, including opportunities in lithium and gold beneficiation.