Nigeria has partnered with Botswana, as the western African country seeks to create a gateway into the SADC market for different types of products.

At a recent Botswana-Nigeria Business and Investment Forum in Gaborone, both countries showcased each other's investment climate, preferential market access under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and opportunities in manufacturing, agribusiness, pharmaceuticals, and logistics.

The manager for export promotion and development at the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC), Calvin Ketshabetswe, said Nigerian businesses can trade and invest in Botswana.

Ketshabetswe explained that the development will result in Nigeria using Botswana as a production and distribution launchpad into the wider SADC market.

Besides being another export destination, Ketshabetswe said Botswana is strategically positioned and boasts of a stable investment climate.

“Botswana can also serve as a stable platform for Nigerian companies and also to assist them to access the SADC market. So, this is what the opportunities and status look like for both of our countries in terms of trading under the AfCFTA dispensation.”

Nigeria's High Commissioner to Botswana John Shama Shaga explained.

"Nigeria, with its substantial market and diversified economy, and Botswana, renowned for its stability and high-value industries and important position within the Southern African Customs Union, are natural partners poised for a greater collaboration.”

BITC's proposition is that Nigerian manufacturers and agro-processors establish operations in Botswana and use the country as a gateway into both SADC and SACU markets, while Botswanan businesses gain reciprocal market access into the Economic Community of West African States through Nigeria.