- Government plans lower Internet costs and expanded rural fiber coverage.
- A new national data center, Digital Delta, will open on November 25.
- Reforms support a wider digital strategy as Botswana ranks 6th in Africa for ICT.
One year after his appointment as Botswana’s minister of Communications and Innovation, David Tshere presented on Thursday, November 20, the main priorities of his roadmap. He emphasized the government’s ambition to make digital transformation a driver of growth, inclusion, and competitiveness.
Among the key announcements, the minister revealed a significant reduction in Internet and mobile data costs to make digital access more affordable for citizens and businesses. He also introduced a plan to extend fiber-optic infrastructure to rural and underserved areas to improve national connectivity and promote digital inclusion.
Minister Tshere confirmed the imminent commissioning of the Digital Delta data center, with its official opening set for Tuesday, November 25, in Gaborone. This state-of-the-art facility aims to strengthen national digital capacity, host critical cloud services, and support government and private-sector applications in areas such as education, health, and public administration.
The roadmap forms part of a broader national strategy that includes the expanding 1Gov government platform and the adoption of modern digital legislation covering cybersecurity, data protection, and technological innovation. Botswana also plans to commercialize data from the BOTSAT-1 satellite to support agriculture, environmental management, and smart infrastructure.
Results from earlier initiatives highlight the country’s progress. According to the 2025 edition of the International Telecommunication Union’s “Measuring Digital Development – ICT Development Index,” Botswana ranks sixth in Africa with a score of 82.1 out of 100, reflecting advances in ICT use and the development of a strong digital ecosystem. DataReportal estimates that 2.09 million people were using the Internet in Botswana at the end of 2025, representing an 81.4 % penetration rate.
Samira Njoya
