BoFiNet maintains profitability despite challenges
Pauline Dikuelo | Monday August 24, 2026 06:00
Although revenue declined from P485 million recorded in 2024, BoFiNet CEO Dr Geoffrey Seleka said the organisation remained profitable without government subvention for the fifth consecutive year, highlighting its financial resilience and commercial sustainability.
“Our revenue declined to P376 million. This decline is attributable to intense competition, customer downgrades and margin erosion across our core product lines,” Seleka said, in a commentary accompanying the newly released annual report for 2025.
The integrated report, a first for BoFiNet, was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday, and the latest figures place the data parastatal among only five profitable SOEs in Botswana for 2025.
Seleka said during the reporting period, the organisation faced significant market pressure, with prices across its core products declining by an average of 24% annually. However, he said operational efficiencies and strategic infrastructure investments helped protect margins despite the challenging market environment.
Performance varied across business segments. Revenue from colocation services on BoFiNet towers stood at P19.9 million, whilst international private leased circuits generated P34.3 million, down from P43.3 million in the previous financial year.
National leased lines, however, recorded notable growth, increasing to P182.6 million from P128.2 million. The organisation’s carrier-neutral data centre also maintained 99.9% uptime.
Seleka said the performance demonstrated BoFiNet’s operational resilience as the organisation works to transform its business model for long-term sustainability.
BoFiNet’s product portfolio continued to face intensifying price competition, driven partly by the entry of satellite internet providers and changing customer expectations. In response, the CEO said they have pursued price adjustments, service bundling and business model innovation.
In the Wi-Fi segment, BoFiNet said its wholesale-only market restrictions continued to constrain revenue potential, as retail operators increasingly self-provision their Wi-Fi requirements. BoFiNet is therefore exploring alternative business models to unlock access to the retail market.
Beyond its financial performance, BoFiNet continues to play a significant role in expanding Botswana’s digital infrastructure. National broadband penetration reached 71%, whilst 206 villages were connected to the national fibre backbone.
The company has also deployed fibre-to-the-home infrastructure covering 17,586 homes and connected 1,272 public Wi-Fi premises across the country.
At the regional level, BoFiNet is connected to three international submarine cable systems, which include EASSy, WACS and Equiano, whilst maintaining four SADC cross-border fibre routes.
“We maintain four SADC cross-border fibre routes, positioning Botswana as a natural regional transit hub,” Seleka said.
The national fibre backbone connects major towns and villages, complemented by Metro Ethernet networks in key urban centres.
BoFiNet’s data centre infrastructure also presents opportunities beyond connectivity. The facility could support government requirements for sovereign data security while positioning Botswana as a regional data centre hub in Southern Africa.
Strategic partnerships with hyperscale cloud providers could further unlock value from the infrastructure investment, officials said.