• Duma Gideon Boko visits France for economic and diplomatic engagements

• Business talks focus on investment, infrastructure, and digital sectors

• Visit comes as Europe seeks to strengthen strategic partnerships in Africa

Botswana’s President, Duma Gideon Boko held a working visit to France in April 2026, where he participated in the One Health Summit in Lyon and led an economic outreach aimed at strengthening bilateral investment ties, according to official communications from the Botswana government.

The visit featured a France–Botswana Business Dialogue bringing together Botswana officials, including representatives of the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC), and French companies operating in sectors such as energy, infrastructure, finance, water, and digital solutions. During the session, BITC outlined Botswana’s investment framework and priority sectors for foreign capital.

According to the official statement, the engagements also included business-to-business (B2B) meetings between Botswana’s delegation and French firms, aimed at facilitating direct commercial partnerships. Botswana’s Minister of International Relations, Phenyo Butale, took part in the discussions focused on expanding economic cooperation between the two countries.

President Boko stated during the dialogue that Botswana maintains a stable political and regulatory environment and is positioning itself as an investment destination. The statement highlighted governance, policy stability, and existing institutional frameworks as part of the country’s investment offer.

On the sidelines of the summit, President Boko also held engagements with Emmanuel Macron, alongside other international leaders attending the event.

Botswana’s economy remains significantly reliant on the diamond sector, which accounts for a substantial share of export revenues, according to publicly available economic data. The government has identified economic diversification and increased foreign direct investment (FDI) as key policy priorities in its national development strategy.

By Cynthia Ebot Takang