The call was made by Minister for State President, Defence and Security, Moeti Mohwasa who added that economic transformation requires more than policy commitments and dialogue. Speaking at the 18th National Business Conference in Francistown this week, he emphasised the need for practical action, efficient public institutions and greater participation of local enterprises in wealth creation. The minister told the delegates that Botswana needed to address factors affecting investor confidence, including currency volatility, governance, political stability and public finances. Citing the 2026 Global Risk and Resilience Score, he noted that no African country featured amongst the world’s 50 safest countries for investors, as Switzerland occupies the top position and Panama ranking 50th. “We need to fix that. Not just government but business as well,” Mohwasa said, emphasising that building investor confidence was a shared responsibility.
The minister added that the country’s economic recovery presented opportunities for growth but also highlighted the urgency of diversifying the economy beyond mining. Figures provided by Statistics Botswana have shown that real gross domestic product grew by 8.7 percent in the second quarter of 2026, following a contraction of 5.2 percent during the corresponding quarter of 2025. Mohwasa explained that mining and quarrying expanded by 81.7%, while diamond mining recorded growth of 94.7%. However, non-mining GDP contracted by 0.2%, manufacturing declined by 9.2 percent, while agriculture, forestry and fishing fell by 23%. Furthermore, the minister said the figures demonstrate the need to strengthen other productive sectors, increase local production, add value to natural resources and develop competitive domestic enterprises. He warned that economic transformation would not be sustainable if large sections of the population remained excluded from access to finance, markets, productive assets and employment.
