Mood's forecasts 7% drop for Botswana's economy

Leading credit ratings agency, Moody’s expects Botswana’s (gross domestic product) GDP to contract by seven percent this year, a more optimistic outlook than government’s own forecast of a 13.1% drop.

In a position announced recently, Moody’s however affirmed the country’s long-term local and foreign currency issuer ratings at A2, amongst the highest in Africa. The status means Botswana is one of the continent’s best borrowers and technically one of the best countries to raise international capital from.

In the latest update, Moody’s said the expected seven percent contraction would be due to the sharp slowdown in domestic demand and the disruptive impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on the mining sector, particularly diamonds.

Editor's Comment
Human rights are sacred

It highlights the need to protect rights such as access to clean water, education, healthcare and freedom of expression.President Duma Boko, rightly honours past interventions from securing a dignified burial for Gaoberekwe Pitseng in the CKGR to promoting linguistic inclusion. Yet, they also expose a critical truth, that a nation cannot sustainably protect its people through ad hoc acts of compassion alone.It is time for both government and the...

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