Botswana’s minister of finance, Ontefetse Kenneth Matambo, presented to parliament a law for complementary funding aiming to increase financing dedicated to energy sector. The budget plans to provide more than $73 million (821 million Pula) to Botswana Power Corporation (BPC), the country’s electric power regulator. The company will hence import more power and supply local power plants with coal.

Largest diamond producer, Botswana scaled down its 2015 growth forecasts to 2.6% thus halving initial ones. The regression was caused by the fall in prices of the precious resource which also resulted from power deficit. .

Diamond represents 75% of Botswana’s foreign trade and 30% of national GDP.

Gwladys Johnson