GDP numbers sparkle, but household and business struggle

Pic. KAGISO ONKATSWITSE
Pic. KAGISO ONKATSWITSE

The economy is seen growing by a healthy 4.7% this year up from an equally satisfactory 3.7% last year but the situation on the ground does not paint a picture of such a ticking economy with many businesses and households remaining under pressure.

In September, the Ministry of Finance officials revised the 2017 growth estimate to 4.7% from 4.2% projected in February as higher output from the services sectors and the end of a drought eased pressure on major industries.

But numbers show that households and business are increasingly playing a lesser role in driving the economy and analysts believe the anomaly between the sparkling economic growth numbers and the struggling household is a reflection of Botswana’s economic structural set up.

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