In an effort to transform Botswana’s aviation sector, boost tourism trade, and drive economic diversification, Vice President Ndaba Gaolathe has stated that the country critically needs infrastructure investment to accommodate future travellers.
Gaolathe described Botswana as a strategic market anchored by a responsible and credible governance system, noting that while it might appear small, its potential is significant.
The Vice President was speaking during a fireside chat with Jon Howell, Founder and CEO of AviaDev, at the official opening of the AviaDev Africa 2026 conference held in Gaborone this week.
“We are looking for partnerships, we cherish partnerships. We know that as a country we will never be able to make it, to realise our ‘true north,’ without partnerships, without new insights, without new experiences, and without deep pockets,” he said.
Gaolathe urged airline partners to invest for the long term and stay ahead of the curve by actively creating market demand, while appealing for investor collaborations to build modern airports.
“Aviation and connectivity for us is not a peripheral concept; it is actually at the core of the Botswana Economic Programme (BETP). You may think of us as being landlocked, but we actually think of ourselves as being land-linked.”
Gaolathe highlighted the importance of building an ecosystem that ensures easy access to Botswana and the rest of Africa, citing that this can only be achieved if African nations build robust partnerships with one another to enable seamless trade.
“Connectivity for us is about building the ecosystem that makes it easy to access Botswana, so that it is affordable to access Botswana, and so that we can collectively work with our neighbours,” Gaolathe said.
He noted that Botswana’s ultimate goal is to build a high-income nation that is diversified, digitally enabled, and where every single citizen is employed, empowered, and fulfilled.
Giving an overview of Botswana Air Access, Assistant Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Keoagile Atamelang noted that since its inception in 2024, the initiative has driven major network developments across Botswana’s international airports, including the launch of flights by Airlink, South African Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, and Proflight Zambia.
The initiative was established to promote increased air connectivity to Botswana by securing route retention, expansions, and introductions through strategic engagements with domestic, regional, and international carriers.
Atamelang said that despite these achievements, Botswana Air Access continues to engage both existing and prospective carriers from across Africa, Europe, North America, and Asia in ongoing efforts to further strengthen the country’s global connectivity.
He added that the tangible outcomes achieved thus far demonstrate that the initiative is successfully converting strategic engagements into new and expanded air services.
“The impact is visible in seat capacity to and from our international airports. Botswana’s international capacity is projected to increase from approximately 390,000 seats in 2023 to more than 607,000 in 2026. This represents an increase of 218,000 and a growth rate of 56 per cent. AviaDev 2026 gives us the platform to build on this momentum,” he said.
He highlighted that the mission of Botswana Air Access is to make travel to and within Botswana easier, more affordable, and more efficient through strong partnerships across both the public and private sectors.
“To our airline partners, Botswana is open for business. We stand ready to share data, build viable business cases, and support sustainable routes that deliver mutual value and long-term growth,” he said.
AviaDev is Africa’s premier air route development conference, hosted in a leading African city every year. The event brought together a record number of over 600 airline representatives and international delegates to Botswana for three days of meetings, networking, and route development discussions.
The 10th edition of AviaDev Africa highlights Botswana’s growing role in shaping the future of aviation connectivity on the continent. The Botswana Air Access team used the event as a platform to engage with regional and international carriers to assess their appetite for Botswana, with more than 10 one-on-one meetings planned with target carriers.
A major highlight of the AviaDev Africa 2026 programme is the exclusive Carrier VIP Tour, which took 20 airline representatives to the world-renowned Okavango Delta, offering key decision-makers first-hand experience of one of Botswana’s most iconic tourism assets.
