This was revealed by Botswana Investment and Trade Centre’s Chief Operations Officer, Anthony Sefako, last week. Speaking at Thursday’s Botswana-South Africa Business Forum, he said the two economies remain deeply interconnected through banking systems, integrated supply chains, mining operations and broader trade relations. From an annual import bill of approximately US$6.4 billion, 61.3% of imports originate from South Africa, officials revealed. According to Sefako, imports from South Africa reached nearly $4.2 billion in 2024 and were largely dominated by fuel valued at $ 602 million, motor vehicles for resale, electrical appliances, Portland cement and vehicles used for transporting goods. On the export front, Botswana exported goods worth almost $600 million to South Africa during the same period. Major exports included non-industrial diamonds, ignition wiring sets, electric conductors for voltage transmission, pure-bred breeding cattle, soda ash, bituminous coal, live cattle, as well as linen and kitchen linen products.
However, despite the strong bilateral trade relationship between Botswana and South Africa, Sefako expressed concern over the low levels of intra-African trade, which currently accounts for only 20% of the continent’s total trade activity. He told the forum that Southern Africa possesses enormous potential to emerge as a leader in renewable energy particularly solar production, but emphasised that stronger cooperation amongst African countries is essential to unlock these opportunities. “What we need is to redouble efforts to remove barriers which hinder trade amongst our countries. We cannot afford to work in silos; we need to work together,” said Sefako. The forum formed part of the 6th Botswana-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC), which aims to strengthen political, social and economic cooperation between the two countries. It attracted approximately 200 business delegates from Botswana and South Africa, who engaged in discussions focused on strengthening collaborative partnerships across key strategic sectors.
