Botswana recorded a P2.33 billion trade deficit in June 2026, with the latest trade figures highlighting the country’s continued dependence on exports of unrefined minerals. According to Statistics Botswana’s latest International Merchandise Trade Statistics (IMTS) report, imports stood at P7.28 billion in June, compared with total exports of P4.95 billion.
Unrefined commodities accounted for 83 percent of Botswana’s total merchandise exports during the month. Rough diamonds, valued at P2.78 billion, and copper ores and concentrates, valued at P1.33 billion, were the country’s leading export commodities. The figures come against a decline in Botswana’s export revenues during the first five months of 2026. According to the material, export revenues fell by P5.4 billion compared with the same period in 2025, largely due to weakening global demand and price volatility affecting unrefined diamonds.
Botswana’s trade figures come as the issue of mineral beneficiation takes centre stage within the Southern African Development Community (SADC). At the 46th Ordinary SADC Summit in Durban, the region’s mineral wealth and limited intra-regional trade were highlighted as areas requiring greater attention. SADC member states hold nearly a third of the world’s critical energy transition minerals, while intra-regional trade accounts for only one percent of total commerce across the bloc.
Current SADC Chairperson Cyril Ramaphosa called for Southern African countries to move towards greater local beneficiation of minerals. “Every raw material exported without beneficiation represents value that has left our shores,” Ramaphosa said, arguing that the current model also results in the export of local jobs through external supply chains.
UNECA Executive Secretary Claver Gatete similarly highlighted the economic opportunities associated with processing minerals within the region. Gatete cited the establishment of a 10,000-tonne battery precursor plant in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which he said would cost approximately US$39 million—nearly three times less than an equivalent facility in the United States. He also noted that such regional production could generate lower carbon emissions than supply chains routed through Asia.
“Minerals contribute around 10 percent of SADC’s GDP and 25 percent of exports, but only 7 percent of direct employment,” Gatete said. “Value addition and regional integration are where the opportunities lie.”
The regional beneficiation drive includes plans to develop interconnected mineral value chains rather than isolated national processing industries. Among the initiatives is the Lithium Industrialisation Corridor, which seeks to link processing capacities in Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa and support regional manufacturing.
Botswana is also already part of the movement of minerals through the region, particularly as a transit route. Copper accounted for 42 percent of transit trade, valued at P11.28 billion, moving through key border posts including Martins Drift and the Kazungula Bridge. These routes connect the region’s copper-producing areas with ports and markets in Southern Africa.
The SADC discussions, however, place the movement of minerals within a broader regional industrialisation agenda, with non-tariff barriers, cross-border energy infrastructure and private investment in processing facilities identified as factors affecting the development of regional value chains.
