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
Depression is real; let's take care of our mental health

It is not uncommon in this part of the world for parents to actually punish their children when they show signs of depression associating it with issues of indiscipline, and as a result, the poor child will be lashed or given some kind of punishment. We have had many suicide cases in the country and sadly some of the cases included children and young adults. We need to start looking into issues of mental health with the seriousness it...

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