World Bank upholds 6.5% growth projection

The country's trade balance has been in the red since October 2008 - except for a marginal surplus in June 2010 - as the country's mineral exports nosedived, while government's deficit-busting support for the economy propped up import demand.

Released yesterday, the World Bank's Global Economic Prospects 2011 Summer Update maintained Botswana's economic growth projections for 2011 and 2012, while giving a glimmer of hope for the trade balance. According to the bank's researchers, the country's current account should return to positive being equal to 2.7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by next year, as opposed to the - 3.1 percent of GDP forecast for this year.  The current account, which measures the change in the country's net foreign asset position, is primarily composed of the trade balance, which itself is the difference between exports and imports.