This research focus area addresses development issues from the perspective of the firms and industries that will be integral to the transformation of the economy. The theme has various components, including policy (sectoral development policies, competition, privatization etc.) as well as issues around regulation and the business environment. It also includes trade policy and regional integration. The theme also encompasses specialized industry analysis, e.g. of value chains in agriculture and tourism, although the specific industry focus may change over time. This focus area has three research themes: Trade and regional integration; Economic Sectors; and Productivity, Competitiveness and Innovation. http://knowledge.bidpa.bw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/4 2026-04-14T19:59:10Z 2026-04-14T19:59:10Z Kebakile, Pinkie Gertrude http://knowledge.bidpa.bw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/172 2023-03-28T13:13:35Z 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z

Understanding the Firm-Level Export Diversification Characteristics in Botswana Kebakile, Pinkie Gertrude EXECUTIVE SUMMARY prerequisite for sustained economic growth in the country. • The growth and diversification of Botswana’s export bundle is undermined by the exporters’ inability to break into new export markets. • The main policy message is therefore that to transition from the upper-middle income status to high-income status by 2036, the country needs to nurture and develop the multi-product multi-destination exporters. Targeted interventions aimed at developing these exporters are therefore called for. his Policy Brief unravels interesting insights pertaining to firm-level export diversification characteristics in Botswana, which is an approach that views export diversification at the micro-level. The following are the key highlights from the Policy Brief: • Exporters whose export portfolios are varied in terms of products and export markets, commonly referred to as multi-product multi-destination exporters in the literature fetch high export values, which is Policy Brief

2023-01-01T00:00:00Z Khanie, Goitseone http://knowledge.bidpa.bw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/162 2021-09-13T09:30:56Z 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z

Key Drivers of Industrial Growth Khanie, Goitseone manufacturing sector value added as the proxy for industrial growth. It employs the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) cointegration approach using annual time series data for the period 1983 to 2015. Empirical results show that industrial growth is driven by financial sector development, human capital development, trade openness and foreign direct investment. Specifically, domestic credit to the private sector as a percentage of GDP and secondary school enrolment ratio are found to be significantly related to manufacturing value added as a percentage of GDP both in the long run and short run. While the relationship is limited to long run for total trade to GDP, it only exits in the short run for FDI net inflows. The study therefore recommends that policy makers should design and ensure proper implementation of financial sector development strategies that can help ease access to credit for manufacturing enterprises in the country. There is also a need for a holistic approach in the design and implementation of innovation and human resource development policies in order to provide a conducive environment for skills acquisition, innovation and technological advancements in the manufacturing sector. Trade policies and export promotion strategies should heighten productivity and value addition in the manufacturing sector, so as to make local firms internationally competitive. Finally, with regards to FDI, the Government of Botswana should create an environment that could entice multinationals to invest in the local manufacturing industry. This, however, should be coupled with protectionist policies to avoid crowding out local manufacturers and exposing them to foreign competition. The series comprises of papers which reflect work in progress, which may be of interest to researchers and policy makers, or of a public education character. Working papers may already have been published elsewhere or may appear in other publications.

2020-01-01T00:00:00Z Sekakela, Kedibonye http://knowledge.bidpa.bw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/79 2021-06-08T09:42:52Z 2019-03-01T00:00:00Z

The Impact of Business Regulatory Quality on Private Sector Investment in Botswana Sekakela, Kedibonye A market-friendly regulatory environment is key for private sector investment. In this paper, we examine the impact of business regulatory quality on private sector investment in Botswana. The paper finds that the business regulatory environment stimulates private sector investment in the long term and this phenomenon occurs when the quality of bureaucracy improves, among other factors. Other critical factors affecting private sector investment examined in this paper include; corporate credit, output and public infrastructure investment. Private sector investment responds positively to increases in corporate credit in the short term but not responsive in the long term. Economic activities support private sector investment positively but weak. On the other hand, public infrastructure investment crowds in(out) investment in the short and long term respectively. Policy wise, Botswana should further deepen its efforts towards creating a market-friendly regulatory environment and also consider how business regulatory quality interact with other policy variables for better investment and growth outcomes.

2019-03-01T00:00:00Z Khanie, Goitseone http://knowledge.bidpa.bw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/78 2021-06-08T09:39:07Z 2018-08-01T00:00:00Z

Impact of Internationalization on Firm Performance in Botswana Khanie, Goitseone Internationalization can affect a firm’s performance. This study determines how a firm’s engagement in international business activities affects its performance in Botswana. The study uses the Ordinary Least Squares method to regress firm performance over the degree of internationalization index (DOI), a composite variable of export intensity, import intensity and FDI intensity and control variables, size of the firm and the industry in which the firm operates. The results show that there is a positive relationship between firm performance and the degree of internationalization. This implies that among other growth strategies, internationalization can be considered as an important strategy to improve firm performance. The policy implication of these results is that efforts should be made to assist firms to internationalize their operations as a way of improving their performance.

2018-08-01T00:00:00Z