22nd August 2025
Own Correspondent
Botswana Development Corporation (“BDC” or “the Corporation”), Government’s main investment arm, has outlined a bold new strategic focus that positions it as a mega investment company at the centre of the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme (BETP).
A highlight of the press briefing was BDC’s capital recycling initiative, which released P400 million, including a P 140 million in profit — a 47% return on investment — from a divestment in a leading South African FMCG company.
President Advocate Gideon Duma Boko commended the historic milestone as proof of execution: “Transformation is not about words but tangible output. Each pula recycled into our economy must be judged by the jobs created, the communities uplifted, and the resilience built,” said Boko.
Key features of the investment included:
• Food security: Strengthening Botswana’s supply chain resilience.
• Strong management: A leadership team with over 20 years of FMCG experience.
• Market-leading brands: Household names with proven consumer demand.
• Risk mitigation: Robust protections through negotiated security structures.
• Local relevance: 36% of the company’s sales are in Botswana, with potential for repatriated value.
Botswana Development Corporation(BDC) Chief Executive Officer Oteng Keabetswe noted that the transaction stands as “a textbook example of smart investing — entering with speed, aligning with the right partners, and exiting with strength.”
BDC’s successful exit opens new avenues for growth, including:
• Agro-processing localisation – partnering with FMCG companies to produce high-demand items
using Botswana-grown crops.
• FMCG sector replication – scaling into dairy, baked goods, and adjacent industries.
• Regional expansion – leveraging established distribution networks to export Botswana-made
products.
• Innovation co-investment – funding R&D into affordable, nutritious meal solutions such as fortified
millet-based porridge.
“BDC is not just investing in companies — we are investing in communities, in ideas, and in the future of Botswana. Our focus is bold because our ambition is bold,” Keabetswe added.
It was revealed that Botswana’s investment path from sustainable prosperity begins with reclaiming control over its most critical sectors. Through its strategic focus on agribusiness, energy, healthcare, financial services, and technology, BDC is hoping to restores its national ownership of essential supply chains and reducing dependency on imports.
By investing in sectors aligned with the UN SDGs, BDC is securing food systems, improving health outcomes, and broadening economic opportunity. Import substitution and value-added industries are creating quality jobs, strengthening the balance of payments, and embedding resilience.
This is the essence of economic sovereignty — building a future shaped by Batswana, for Batswana, anchored in dignity, stability, and shared prosperity.
This strategic focus will guide and inform the Corporation’s forthcoming corporate strategy. The high-level briefing, officiated by His Excellency President Advocate Duma Gideon Boko, brought together senior government leaders, international and local investors, and development partners to mark the beginning of a new era in Botswana’s development journey.
President Boko described the announcement as “not simply a repositioning, but a reawakening – a call for BDC to reclaim its founding spirit and lead from the front.” He added: “The era of diamond dependency is waning, and the global economy is more volatile, digitised, and competitive. Botswana must not only keep up — we must leap forward. Not cautiously, not incrementally, but boldly, decisively, and with an unshakeable belief in our people.”
The President further outlined the four pillars of the BETP — transitioning from resource dependency to diversification, positioning Botswana as a regional services hub, leveraging governance and institutional strengths, and delivering equitable and inclusive growth.
He affirmed that BDC’s strategic repositioning is central to achieving these ambitions, calling it “transformation with precision, with purpose, and with performance.”
A Strategic Focus Anchored in Impact BDC’s new direction reflects a decisive shift toward impact-driven investment, regional expansion, and global competitiveness
