Botswana

More information about Botswana is available on the Botswana Page and from other Department of State publications and other sources listed at the end of this fact sheet.

U.S.-BOTSWANA RELATIONS

The United States considers Botswana an excellent partner and an advocate of and model for stability in Africa. In its 46 years since independence, Botswana has consistently maintained a democratic government, responsibly managed its natural resources, and invested in its people and infrastructure. The bilateral relationship is strong, grounded in a shared commitment to democracy, good governance, and human rights. The United States and Botswana also share an interest in ensuring the sustainability of Botswana's success by deepening economic diversification and promoting regional economic growth and development. Top priorities for U.S. involvement in Botswana also include: our shared commitment to combating HIV and AIDS; youth outreach; support for the country’s Economic Diversification Drive; cooperation with the Botswana Defense Force, one of the most professional militaries on the continent; and support for Botswana’s conservation agenda, particularly the prevention of wildlife trafficking.

U.S. Assistance to Botswana

The United States has been a major partner in Botswana's development since its independence from the United Kingdom in 1966. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) phased out its bilateral partnership with Botswana in the mid-1990s, after successful programs emphasizing education, training, entrepreneurship, environmental management, and reproductive health. Botswana benefits along with its neighbors in the region from USAID's Initiative for Southern Africa, based in Pretoria, and USAID's Southern Africa Trade Hub, headquartered in Gaborone. The U.S. International Board of Broadcasters operates a major Voice of America relay station in Botswana serving most of the African continent.

Botswana is one of the focus countries for PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief. PEPFAR assistance to Botswana supports sustainable, high-quality, cost-effective HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care interventions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has undertaken many projects and has assisted many organizations in the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Botswana. HIV/AIDS-related programs also are a focus of the Peace Corps.

The International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA), which is jointly financed, managed, and staffed by the Governments of Botswana and the United States, provides training to police and government officials from across the sub-Saharan region. Over 4,300 law enforcement professionals from 26 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have received training from ILEA since it began offering classes in 2001.

U.S. assistance seeks to expand connections with Botswana's military leaders through military education and training programs. Programs support Botswana's interest in strengthening both domestic and regional civil-military and military-to-military relations, while improving the country's capacity to participate meaningfully in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, including within the Southern African Development Community and throughout Africa. The United States sponsors Botswana Defense Force officers and non-commissioned officers attending courses at the Command and General Staff College and the Sergeant Major's Academy, and participating in tailored professional enhancement courses. These courses reinforce democratic principles by teaching the role of the military in a democracy, the centrality of human rights, and the rule of law.　

Bilateral Economic Relations

Botswana is eligible for preferential trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. The country belongs to the Southern African Customs Union, which has signed a Trade, Investment, and Development Cooperative Agreement (TIDCA) with the United States. The TIDCA establishes a forum for consultative discussions, cooperative work, and possible agreements on a wide range of trade issues, with a special focus on customs and trade facilitation, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and trade and investment promotion.

Botswana's Membership in International Organizations

Botswana puts a premium on economic and political integration in Southern Africa. Botswana and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.

Bilateral Representation

The U.S. Ambassador to Botswana is Michelle Gavin; other principal embassy officials are listed in the Department's Key Officers List.

Botswana maintains an embassy in the United States at 1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036 (tel. 202-244-4990).

More information about Botswana is available from the Department of State and other sources, some of which are listed here:

Department of State Botswana Page
Department of State Key Officers List
CIA World Factbook Botswana Page
USAID Southern Africa Page | USAID Southern Africa Mission Page
Human Rights Reports
International Religious Freedom Reports
Trafficking in Persons Reports
Investment Climate Statements
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Countries Page
U.S. Census Bureau Foreign Trade Statistics
Export.gov International Offices Page