The Head of Trade Policy for Southern Africa with the UK Government, Natasha Stotesbury, has reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to promoting sustainable development through trade with Botswana.
Stotesbury made her remarks during an official visit to Botswana, where she engaged with public and private stakeholders to discuss the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) and strategies to help Botswana, an upper-middle-income economy, increase its trade with the UK and reduce its reliance on diamond exports.
The EPA between the Southern African Customs Union, Mozambique, and the UK—referred to as the SACU+M/UK EPA—provides permanent duty-free and quota-free access to the UK market for all goods from Botswana, with the exception of arms and ammunition.
During her visit, Stotesbury also accompanied President Mokgweetsi Masisi during an introductory meeting with the new British High Commissioner to Botswana, Giles Enticknap. She expressed her appreciation for meeting a diverse range of stakeholders to discuss the benefits of the trade agreement and explore avenues for enhancing Botswana’s exports.
President Masisi emphasised the importance of implementing the free trade agreement between Botswana, the UK, and the wider region to support export growth and diversification.
The EPA includes provisions to promote regional supply chains, facilitating tariff-free access to UK markets for goods from Botswana that involve inputs or processing from other countries. Stotesbury explained that the goal of the EPA extends beyond merely increasing exports; it aims to stimulate diversification, attract investment, foster technological advancement, enhance competition, create jobs, and generate foreign exchange earnings. The overarching intent is to support sustainable and inclusive economic development through trade.
Currently, the EPA covers trade in goods; however, Stotesbury noted that there are provisions allowing for potential negotiations to expand its scope to include trade in services, investment, and other areas. “In my role, I work with our partner governments across the region to help support the implementation of the Agreement so that our businesses can benefit from it and together we can improve it over time,” she said.
The UK government has commissioned Imani Development South Africa, in collaboration with DNA Economics and ODI, to conduct a study identifying sectors, value chains, and trade support needs in Botswana and the SACU+M region. The goal is to learn from partners how to enhance export market access for exporters from Botswana and other EPA parties, ultimately aiding in poverty reduction and promoting inclusive, sustainable growth.
To this end, Stotesbury was joined by Dr. Nick Charlambides, Director at Imani Development, for a roundtable and reception with Business Botswana. This event provided an opportunity for local businesses to learn about exporting to the UK under the EPA and offer feedback on effective trade policies and programs to support export diversification and development in Botswana.
Stotesbury highlighted the UK service known as Growth Gateway, which facilitates trade and investment between Africa and the UK. Growth Gateway offers tailored business advisory support for Botswana’s exporters, including assistance with buyer connections and attracting UK investment. She also pointed out the Trade Information Hub and School of Export, established under the UK-funded Trade Forward Southern Africa programme. This initiative supported SMEs in Botswana from 2020 to 2023 and is now managed by the International Trade Institute of Southern Africa. The Hub continues to provide free resources and e-learning for businesses aiming to export, covering topics such as export readiness, market identification, trading prices, and standards and processes.
