Gaborone – Botswana’s Minister for State President, Defence and Security, Moeti Mohwasa, has told business leaders that the country’s economy cannot survive on digging up resources and shipping them out in raw form, delivering a blunt message at the official opening of the 30th Northern Trade Fair on Thursday.
Addressing the Business Botswana Northern Trade Fair, held under the theme “Value Chain Revolution: From Local Resources to Global Markets,” Mohwasa said Botswana’s historical reliance on mineral extraction had brought macroeconomic stability but had also insulated economic growth from broader diversification.
“The era of simply digging up resources and shipping them away in raw form must end,” he said. 
“To build a robust, self-sustaining economy, we must move away from a shallow growth model. We must diversify aggressively by transitioning into high-value manufacturing, commercial agro-processing, and localized processing,” Mohwasa told delegates.
The Minister drew a direct connection between national stability and commercial success, telling the gathering that peace goes beyond the absence of conflict.
“Peace is not merely the absence of conflict,” he said. “It is the presence of regulatory and physical certainty where an entrepreneur can deploy capital without fear.”
Outlining the government’s new direction under the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme, Mohwasa was clear about the state’s changing role in the economy.
“The BETP represents a decisive break from the past,” he said. “The role of government is no longer to run commercial enterprises or act as the primary financier of economic activity. Instead, our role shifts decisively to being the facilitator, regulator, architect, and protector of an enabling market environment.”
Closing his address, Mohwasa issued a direct challenge to the private sector, telling business leaders that a value chain revolution cannot be achieved through government decrees alone.
“It requires the specialised execution, capital, and agility of the private sector, coordinated under the capable umbrella of Business Botswana,” he said.
He also called for an end to silos between heavy industries, technology innovators and small-scale enterprises.
“The government guarantees you the stability, physical safety, and institutional protection required to grow and protect your investments. Take the calculated risks, invest heavily in local value addition, and let us build a prosperous, employment-rich New Botswana together,” he said.
The message from Gaborone carries weight for Eswatini, which faces similar pressures to move beyond raw commodity exports and build domestic value-addition capacity across its own key sectors.
