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Business Profile
Economy: As a key foreign exchange earner, livestock farming is the most important part of Botswana’s agricultural sector. In addition, there is substantial subsistence agriculture, cultivating maize, sorghum and millet. The country’s other main export industry is mining, extracting diamonds (of which Botswana is the world’s largest producer by value), nickel, gold, cobalt, copper, salt and coal (the principal source of energy) and soda ash. The small manufacturing sector is largely devoted to the production of food products and textiles. Botswana is closely connected to South Africa economically and is a member of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) – along with Lesotho and Swaziland – and of the Southern African Development Conference. The country’s imports come from within SACU, other African countries (notably Zimbabwe) and Korea. Europe is the key export market. Although prudent management and successful development of new mineral resources have afforded Botswana healthy economic growth during the 1990s, the vulnerability of the agricultural sector to bad weather and commodity price fluctuations has led the government to seek to develop a service sector, with tourism and financial services as the best prospects.
Business: Lightweight or tropical suits should be worn. Office hours: 0800-1700 April-October; 0730-1630 October-April. Government office hours: 0730-1630 all year round.
Commercial Information: The following organisations can also offer advice: Botswana Conference and Exhibition Centre, Private Bag B03, Gaborone (tel: 375 555; fax: 304 263; e-mail: freda@bdc.bw); or Botswana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Private Bag 00290, Gaborone (tel: 359 292; fax: 372 462).
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