Botswana urged to move away from tenderpreneurship

Friday, September 11, 2026 | 230 Views |

Urging change: Ramaphoi PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO

Botswana must break away from its long-standing dependence on government procurement and tenderpreneurship and build a private sector capable of competing in regional and international markets, the Ministry of Trade and Entrepreneurship Permanent Secretary has said.

Speaking at Stanbic Bank’s Thought Leadership Session on Competitiveness in a Challenging Economic Environment, Joel Ramaphoi said the procurement-led growth model that has characterised Botswana’s economy for decades had reached its natural limit.

He said the country’s historical reliance on government spending, largely supported by diamond revenues, had created an economic model that encouraged businesses to depend heavily on public contracts rather than developing products and services for wider markets.

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Botswana urged to move away from tenderpreneurship

Botswana must break away from its long-standing dependence on government procurement and tenderpreneurship and build a private sector capable of competing in regional and international markets, the Ministry of Trade and Entrepreneurship Permanent Secretary has said.

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