Botswana
Twice the size of Arizona, Botswana is in south-central Africa, bounded by Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Most of the country is near-desert, with the Kalahari occupying the western part of the country. The eastern part is hilly, with salt lakes in the north.
History
The earliest inhabitants of the region were the San, who were followed by the Tswana. About half the country today is ethnic Tswana. The term for the country's people, Batswana, refers to national rather than ethnic origin.
Encroachment by the Zulu in the 1820s and by Boers from Transvaal in the 1870s and 1880s threatened the peace of the region. In 1885, Britain established the area as a protectorate, then known as Bechuanaland. In 1961, Britain granted a constitution to the country. Self-government began in 1965, and on Sept. 30, 1966, the country became independent. Botswana is Africa's oldest democracy.
The new country maintained good relations with its white-ruled neighbors but gradually changed its policies, harboring rebel groups from South Rhodesia as well as some from South Africa.
Although Botswana is rich in diamonds, it has high unemployment and stratified socioeconomic classes. In 1999, the nation suffered its first budget deficit in 16 years because of a slump in the international diamond market. Yet Botswana remains one of the wealthiest and most stable countries on the continent.
After 17 years in power, President Ketumile Masire retired in 1997, and Festus Mogae, an Oxford-educated economist, became the new president. Mogae has won high marks from the international financial community for continuing to privatize Botswana's mining and industrial operations.
Info
Languages: English 2% (official), Setswana 78%, Kalanga 8%, Sekgalagadi 3%, other (2001)
Ethnicity/race: Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other (including Kgalagadi and white) 7%
National Holiday: Independence Day (Botswana Day), September 30
Religions: Christian 72%, Badimo 6%, none 21% (2001)
Literacy rate: 81.2% (2011 est.)
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2011 est.): $30.09 billion; per capita $16,300. Real growth rate: –6.2%. Inflation: 7.8%. Unemployment: 7.5%. Arable land: 1%.
Agriculture: livestock, sorghum, maize, millet, beans, sunflowers, groundnuts. Labor force: 1.269 , million (2011); agriculture n.a., industry n.a., services n.a. Industries: diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash; livestock processing; textiles.
Natural resources: diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver. Exports: $5.509 billion f.o.b. (2011 est.): diamonds, copper, nickel, soda ash, meat, textiles. Imports: $5,426 billion f.o.b. (2011 est.): foodstuffs, machinery, electrical goods, transport equipment, textiles, fuel and petroleum products, wood and paper products, metal and metal products. Major trading partners: European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Southern African Customs Union (SACU), Zimbabwe (2004).
Member of Commonwealth of Nations
Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 137,400 (2011); mobile cellular: 2,363,000 (2011). Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 13, shortwave 4 (2001). Television broadcast stations: 1 (2001). Internet hosts: 2,674 (2011). Internet users: 120,000 (2011).
Transportation: Railways: total: 888 km (2011). Highways: total: 29,798 km; (2011). Ports and harbors: none. Airports: 78 (2011 est.).
First Contact
The Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) was established by the Government of the Republic of Botswana to provide financial and technical support for business development with a view to promote viable and sustainable citizen owned business enterprises. CEDA was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee on the April 12th, 2001 and commenced operations in June 2001. The company was established in response to a recommendation made by the National Conference on Citizen Economic Empowerment (NCCEE) held in July 1999, in order to introduce the professional management of the Government financial assistance initiatives and to streamline the numerous projects providing similar schemes. The Agency is established to address the need for coherent and holistic support for the development of small, medium and large scale enterprises through the soft window and package offered through the subsidiaries.
CEDA offers funding for capital expenditure, stock or working capital in new and existing business ventures. It also offers training and mentoring for new and seasoned entrepreneurs and business advisory services to entrepreneurs in various skills as identified through the needs assessment that is conducted during project monitoring.