Batswana are Africa's third biggest spenders

Earlier this week, the African Development Bank (AfDB) released a 92-page comparison of real household spending in 49 countries, contrasting the prices of 1,016 products and services, taken at different times of the year and their consumption in individual countries in 2009.

The study is part of a global statistical initiative designed to help countries enhance their statistical capacities in the important areas of national accounts and price statistics. According to the study, spending on food in Botswana, Mauritius, Seychelles and Swaziland is more than three times higher than the all-African average, with food prices in Botswana ranked Africa's fifth most expensive.