Botswana growth forecast slashed

The forecasts are made in the latest edition of the World Bank's Global Economic Prospects report issued worldwide on Tuesday.

According to the report, the major threats facing the local economy this year will come from the troubled Eurozone as well as the extent of the slowdown in China's economy. China's slowdown, or the much-discussed soft or hard landing, is widely expected following years of rapid economic growth. With the Oriental giant now the world's biggest consumer of base metals and the second largest market for diamonds, a hard landing would impact Botswana and other producers.