In an effort to position itself as a regional production and distribution base for Nigerian businesses, Botswana is seeking to deepen commercial ties with Nigeria as both countries look to turn AfCFTA from a trade agreement into a platform for investment.
At the Botswana Nigeria Business and Investment Forum, the two countries highlighted opportunities across manufacturing, agribusiness, pharmaceuticals and logistics, with Botswana presenting its location and preferential market access as strategic advantages for Nigerian companies. BITC Manager for Export Promotion and Development Calvin Ketshabetswe said Nigerian manufacturers and agro processors could establish operations in Botswana and use the country as a gateway into SADC and SACU, while Botswana businesses could gain reciprocal access to ECOWAS through Nigeria.
“Botswana offers a stable, high-income gateway into SADC and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU),” said Ketshabetswe. The proposition is significant because bilateral trade remains small. Botswana’s exports to Nigeria peaked at $1.4 million in 2023 before falling to $147,000 in 2024, while imports from Nigeria declined from $376,000 to $161,000 over the same period.
Rather than treating those numbers as a weakness, BITC sees them as evidence of a market that remains largely undeveloped. The focus is therefore shifting from simply exporting finished products to building regional value chains. Ketshabetswe argued that AfCFTA must address non tariff barriers, trade facilitation, investment and digital trade if businesses are to establish production networks across the continent.
For agribusiness, that distinction matters. Botswana could offer Nigerian companies a Southern African base for processing and distribution, while Nigerian capital, technology and market access could support the expansion of Botswana based businesses. The investment proposition is reinforced by incentives including preferential corporate tax rates for qualifying manufacturers and other entities, tax rebates, customs and VAT concessions and additional incentives available through Special Economic Zones.
Agriculture is among the sectors identified for investment alongside energy, logistics, digital transformation, healthcare and mining. The opportunity now is to convert market access into actual investment. That would give AfCFTA a more tangible role in Botswana’s economic diversification strategy while connecting two major regional markets through commercially driven value chains.
