This Department is responsible for the promotion of relations between Botswana and the countries of Africa and the Middle East. The Department also facilitates and manages bilateral and technical cooperation with countries of these regions, based primarily on the cultural, investment, trade and economic cooperation agreements with the respective countries. These include Bi-National Commissions (BNC), which we have with South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia; Joint Permanent Commission for Cooperation (JPCC), which we have with Mozambique, Malawi, Mauritius, Tanzania, Kenya, and Nigeria; as well as other mechanisms. The Department also monitors developments in Africa and Middle East regions, prepares briefs and reports on the relevant countries and on issues of importance to Botswana.

Botswana attaches great importance to the countries of Africa as strategic partners, particularly those in the SADC region, as their political and socio-economic development is intricately linked and mutually reinforcing.

Promoting friendly relations and working with African countries, bilaterally and collectively, to find solutions to common challenges in all spheres of human development, is paramount to Botswana’s socio-economic development. It is therefore at the forefront of this Department’s agenda.