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Regulatory resource centre

The authorities that actually decide your project

Every regulator below was checked against its own site or the government portal. Where a body has been replaced or renamed, we say so, because out-of-date guidance is the most common source of wasted effort here.

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Business, tax and investment

Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA)
Registrar of companies and intellectual property, formed March 2011, Gaborone. Administers the Companies Act for incorporation and returns, and the Registration of Business Names Act. Registration is online.
Town and District Councils
Issue trade licences over the counter under the Trade Act 2019, which abolished the Licensing Committees. Applications go to the council commercial affairs office.
Ministry of Trade and Entrepreneurship
Trade and industrial policy. Industrial licences under the Industrial Development Act 2019. Department of Trade and Consumer Affairs, Plot 54380, CBD, Gaborone.
Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS)
Tax and customs. BERA cross-checks petroleum import volumes against BURS data monthly.
Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC)
Investment promotion and attraction, export promotion and development, and nation brand. One-stop services for inbound investors.
Special Economic Zones Authority (SEZA)
Established 2015 to develop and manage the eight special economic zones, and a one-stop shop for enterprises establishing in them.
Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA)
Subsidised development finance. Requires the business to be 100 percent citizen-owned.

Sector regulators

Department of Mines, Ministry of Minerals and Energy
Prospecting, retention and mining licences and minerals permits under the Mines and Minerals Act 1999. The ministry also houses the Department of Energy, the Mineral Affairs Division and the Diamond Hub. Older sources use an out-of-date ministry name.
Botswana Energy Regulatory Authority (BERA)
Established by the BERA Act 2016, operating since 1 September 2017, in Lobatse. Licenses electricity, petroleum products, gas, coal, solar and other renewables under one authority.
Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA)
Competent authority for environmental authorisation under the Environmental Assessment Act 2011 and the Environmental Assessment Regulations, S.I. 58 of 2012.
Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA)
Replaced PPADB on 14 April 2022 under the Public Procurement Act 24 of 2021. Supplier registration runs on the Integrated Procurement Management System. Content still naming PPADB as the regulator is out of date.
Land Boards
Administer tribal land, and are a separate counterparty for surface rights. On a mining licence application, surface rights from the land authority are a requirement.
Engineers Registration Board of Botswana
Certifies the engineers and technicians whose sign-off engineering work requires.

Legislation worth reading

  • Mines and Minerals Act No. 17 of 1999 (Cap 66:01). Section 17 for prospecting duration, section 30 for retention, section 40 for the Government working interest, section 42 for mining licence duration and section 66 for royalties.
  • Environmental Assessment Act No. 10 of 2011 and the Environmental Assessment Regulations, S.I. 58 of 2012. Section 5(1) is the provision that sequences most projects.
  • Botswana Energy Regulatory Authority Act 2016. Section 34(1) on licensing, section 37 for the petroleum activities, section 41(1) with section 39 for authorisation to construct, and section 46 for revocation.
  • Botswana Energy Regulatory Authority (Petroleum Products) Regulations 2024. Regulations 9 and 10 for importer reporting duties.
  • Trade Act 2019 and the Industrial Development Act 2019, both in force from June 2020.
  • Public Procurement Act 24 of 2021.
  • Companies Act and the Registration of Business Names Act, administered by CIPA.

Disclaimer. Regulatory information can change, and ministerial prescriptions determine parts of what applies to a project. Always verify current requirements, fees, application forms and procedures with the relevant Botswana authority before submitting an application or making an investment. Insika provides professional advisory and coordination services and does not guarantee the outcome of any government application.

Not sure which authority applies to you?

That is usually the right first question, and it is one we can answer quickly.

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