Author

Brian Benza
  • New gambling regulations kick in

    The regulations, which enable the commencement of Gambling Act of 2012 and were approved by the Minister of Trade and Industry this month, will be enforced by the country’s newest parastatal, the Gambling Authority.  Giving an overview of...

  • Choppies boost as Kenyan tax dispute ends

    Ukwala Supermarket’s bid to sell its outlets to Choppies Enterprises was last December stopped until a P104 million (Sh946 million) tax dispute between the retailer and the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) was settled. The KRA has now withdrawn...

  • Govt forgoes P160m in copper royalties

    Answering a question in parliament this week, the Minister of Minerals Energy and Water Resources, Kitso Mokaila said the deferred royalties from copper mines in total amounts to $14.2 million (P160 million) from two companies that were in operation...

  • Inflation slows to all-time low

    The decrease was mainly driven by the transport sector with the drop in fuel prices slowing the rate of price increases.    The December inflation is the lowest rate recorded since Botswana adopted the pula currency in 1976, with the...

  • Lerala Mine to reopen next month

    In an update to the Australian Stock Exchange, KDL through its Botswana subsidiary, announced that the mining contract has been awarded to Basil Read following a two-stage competitive tender process. “Basil Read is scheduled to mobilise staff...

  • Economy on recession cliff edge

    BusinessWeek: Quarter on quarter GDP figures show that the economy is in a technical recession. Do these figures portray the true state of the Botswana economy?  Sebabole: The technical recession is a true reflection of the economy...

  • Market sentiment recovers at ODC

    Although the company auctioned fewer gemstones compared to the first sale of last year, appetite from buyers was much improved from the soft demand experienced in the last quarter of 2015 when the company had to cancel the last two auctions of the...

  • Banks credit growth dips to decade low

    According to data availed by the Bank of Botswana (BoB), annual credit growth fell by nearly half from 14 percent in October 2014 to eight percent in October 2015, with decline almost entirely concentrated on corporate borrowing. Credit growth rate...

  • Diamond exports drop to seven-year low

    According to statistics published by the Bank of Botswana yesterday, the value of exports from the major diamond mines in Botswana fell to $2.4 billion (P28.5 billion) in 2015 from $3.9 billion (P45.6 billion) the previous year.  The figures...

  • Stimulus budget at P3.6bn so far

    The programme, which is expected to run for a three-year period until 2019, has seen P1.4 billion budgeted for the 2015/2016 financial year under a fast track programme, while a further P2.2 billion has been allocated for the 2016/2017 financial...

  • Ghaghoo production halved on soft diamond prices

    In a trading update released on Wednesday, promoters of the mine, Gem Diamonds said they will downsize output, in order to preserve its balance sheet until prices for diamonds have improved. Ghaghoo had an original production target of 720,000...

  • No sharp spike of BTCL share price seen

    Shares usually have a higher chance of rising post listing if the IPO offer price is significantly below the underlying valuation of the company’s shares, which is based on profit and assets growth forecasts as well as goodwill.  In a...

  • Weak diamond exports trigger P2bn trade deficit

    Due to the low exportation of rough diamonds from the aggregation process, total exports were valued at P2.3 billion in November, a decrease of 50.3 percent from the October 2015 value of P4.6 billion. “As a result of rough diamonds from the...

  • Reform to avoid middle-income trap, IMF advises

    While sub-Saharan Africa remains the second fastest–growing region in the world, the small middle-income countries, including Botswana, are among the slowest growing in the region and there are significant downside risks to their...

  • Inside Matambo's bittersweet budget

    Without giving detail of the size of the total economic rescue package, the minister sporadically mentioned ESP projects across six ministries worth only a cumulative P1.3 billion.  The stimulus’ rollout is targeted to jumpstart the...

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