Botswana’s President, Duma Boko, on Thursday announced a landmark $12 billion investment agreement with Qatar’s Al Mansour Holdings, targeting multiple sectors of the economy in partnership with the state-owned Botswana Development Corporation.
The deal spans infrastructure, energy, mining, diamond refinement, agriculture, tourism, cybersecurity, and defence — a broad package President Boko described as a “historic move” capable of addressing the country’s immediate economic challenges. The announcement comes as Botswana battles the effects of a global diamond market downturn, which dragged GDP down by 3% last year and threatens another contraction this year.
A Qatari business delegation arrived in Gaborone on Wednesday to formalise the agreement and explore wider bilateral opportunities. For Botswana, the partnership underscores its push to diversify beyond diamonds, attract long-term foreign investment, and strengthen its global economic standing. President Boko said the scale of the deal signals renewed confidence in the country’s economic potential and its capacity to remain one of Africa’s most resilient economies.
