Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC) is preparing to host the Global Expo Botswana 2025, scheduled for 8–11 October 2025 in Gaborone. The annual event, now firmly established as the country’s premier trade and investment platform, is set to bring together local entrepreneurs, regional partners, and global investors for four days of deal-making, collaboration, and forward-looking dialogue.
In an interview with Botswana Television, BITC Executive Director for Exports Development and Promotion, Mr. Temo Ntapu, revealed that this year’s expo will unveil a revitalised Pula Investment Conference. Unlike in previous editions, the reformed conference will showcase bankable projects with investors engaging directly with project owners. Structured investor pitches and deal rooms will give projects close to bankability a platform to secure financing, while high-level panel discussions will explore the most pressing themes on Botswana’s economic agenda. Ntapu expressed optimism that “a lot of deals will be signed at this particular conference,” underscoring BITC’s drive to make the Expo a catalyst for tangible investment outcomes.
The programme is divided into three main segments. The first is the Pula Investment Conference, which will not only highlight investment-ready opportunities but also reflect on the successes of BITC and broader government investment efforts. The second is a dedicated creative industries day, aimed at youth entrepreneurs, with workshops in music, fashion, and related sectors that focus on monetisation and capacity building. The final segment includes international investment workshops hosted by participating countries such as Kenya, providing investors with opportunities to look beyond Botswana and into regional markets.
Key topics lined up for discussion this year reflect Botswana’s ambition to diversify its economy and generate 500,000 jobs over the next five years. These include developing Special Economic Zones (SEZs) through value chain–based industrialisation strategies, advancing the mining and critical metals sector, and unlocking growth in tourism. Investors in the hospitality sector, including stakeholders from Ethiopia, will engage on opportunities in Botswana’s tourism landscape. Environmental issues and the manufacturing sector will also feature prominently, highlighting the government’s commitment to building a sustainable, green, and diversified economy.
By blending substantive investment opportunities with dialogue on industrialisation, sustainability, and youth entrepreneurship, Global Expo Botswana 2025 is set to be more than a showcase — it promises to be a platform where Botswana’s vision for economic transformation takes shape in real time.
