President Advocate Duma Gideon Boko has said the New Botswana City development could transform Botswana into a leading regional destination for trade, investment and international events, positioning the country to benefit from growing economic integration across Africa.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the US$2 billion New Botswana City project on Friday, Boko said the development was designed to do more than create buildings. Its purpose, he said, is to attract people, capital and commercial activity into Botswana.
“We are in the airport zone, positioned for movement, connection and access,” Boko said. “In the era of the African Continental Free Trade Area, countries that provide trusted platforms for trade will have an advantage. Botswana must become one such platform.”
The New Botswana City development, located within the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport Special Economic Zone, will include hotels, office space, residential developments, retail facilities and smart-city infrastructure designed to support business and commercial activity.
At the heart of the project’s first phase is Botswana’s first world-class exhibition and convention centre, a facility expected to host major conferences, trade fairs, exhibitions and business events. Boko argued that such infrastructure is essential if Botswana is to compete for investment and business opportunities that increasingly flow through regional commercial hubs.
“When a major conference comes to Botswana, it brings more than delegates into a hall,” he said. “It fills hotel rooms, uses transport, hires equipment, supports restaurants, creates media attention, introduces investors to our institutions, and gives local enterprises a chance to meet regional and global buyers.”
The New Botswana City development, located within the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport Special Economic Zone, will include hotels, office space, residential developments, retail facilities and smart-city infrastructure designed to support business and commercial activity.
Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship Tiroeaone Ntsima echoed the President’s vision, describing the project as a strategic platform intended to strengthen Botswana’s position in regional and international value chains.
“The New Botswana City represents far more than physical infrastructure,” Ntsima said. “It is a strategic economic platform designed to unlock opportunity, facilitate trade, attract investment, and strengthen Botswana’s role within regional and international value chains.”
He noted that countries that have successfully transformed their economies have done so through deliberate investment in trade-enabling infrastructure, logistics platforms and globally competitive commercial hubs.
“Botwana must equally position itself to compete and participate meaningfully in this evolving global economy,” he said.
Ntsima said the development reflects Botswana’s ambition to become a competitive regional gateway for trade, investment, entrepreneurship and innovation.
Government believes the project will generate economic activity across multiple sectors, including tourism, hospitality, logistics, retail, business services and events management. Thousands of jobs are expected to be created during both the construction and operational phases.
For Boko, however, the greatest opportunity lies in changing how the world engages with Botswana.
He said the country’s reputation for political stability, respect for the rule of law and trustworthiness gives it a strong foundation to attract international business.
“The lasting benefit is a facility that opens the economy and draws more citizens into it,” he said.
“The country must claim its place in that geography,” Boko said.
