africa thinks here

On-the-ground business intelligence in Botswana and Lesotho, since July 2019.

Section

Money

Digital payment trust

Digital payment trust

African digital-payment research flags trust, privacy and utility as the gates to adoption – the same gates Botswana’s cashless push must clear in Gaborone and beyond.

Trade-finance timing

Trade-finance timing

World trade rose in April, a fresh sign of resilience – and the lesson for Botswana is that trade finance, the timing of when goods move and get paid for, is itself a competitive advantage.

IMF shock facilities

IMF shock facilities

The IMF has highlighted financing support for African countries hit by conflict-related shocks – a reminder that for Botswana, knowing the facilities exist before a crisis is preparedness.

Global growth risk budgeting

Global growth risk budgeting

The World Bank’s downgraded global growth outlook describes a more fragile path – and for an open, commodity-linked economy like Botswana, a weaker world is a budgeting assumption to take seriously.

Namibia oil optionality

Namibia oil optionality

Namibia’s oil prospects could create a new regional magnet for capital – and Botswana, sharing a border and a region, has reason to plan for a neighbour that suddenly draws the money.

South African portfolio flows

South African portfolio flows

Investors have returned to South African assets as inflation fears ease – and capital that warms to Botswana’s largest neighbour rarely leaves the rest of the region untouched.

Fertiliser finance

Fertiliser finance

Fertiliser supply risk has threatened African food systems – and for Botswana, a food importer with thin domestic production, the financing of fertiliser is a quiet line of food security.

Oil-price hedging

Oil-price hedging

Oil prices swung sharply during Middle East supply disruptions – a reminder that for an oil-importing economy like Botswana, hedging is a budgeting discipline, not a speculative bet.