Gaborone:  Botswana, the world's biggest diamond producer, returned to its habit of running budget surpluses on Wednesday, turning the corner on three years of deficits sparked by the 2008 global financial crisis. In his budget speech to parliament, Finance Minister Kenneth Matambo forecast a small surplus of 0.9 percent of GDP, but slashed his overall economic growth forecast to 4.4 percent for 2012, compared with a previous projection of 7.1 percent.

Gaborone:  Botswana President Ian Khama said on Tuesday the country was lifting a moratorium on new prospecting licences for coal, coal-bed methane and related minerals following the completion of a study of the country's coal potential. The ban was issued in June 2011 as the country embarked on the study meant to develop a blueprint on how to manage and optimise benefits from its untapped coal reserves.

Gaborone: The Minister of Trade and Industry, Dorcas Makgato-Malesu, has challenged Botswana's new Competition Authority to have enough teeth to bite if it is to help promote healthy business practices in the country. Speaking at the official launch of the body in Gaborone, the minister said the Competition Authority must tackle issues militating against sound economic growth without flinching, adding that it should have an impact on the ground, instead of being seen to be producing research reports and issuing statements.

Gaborone: Botswana needs a modern heavy gauge railway to transport 70 - 90 million tonnes of coal to the sea and on to India and China.Whether the route it takes goes to Mozambique or Namibia is less important than having the independent national rail capacity because Cecil Rhodes' narrow gauge from Cape to Bulawayo is no longer fit for the purpose and cannot provide competition to South Africa's  planned railroad to Swaziland and Mozambique, writes Roman Grynberg. 

Gaborone:  Botswana's Competition Authority becomes a reality on Thursday when the country's Minister of Trade and Industry Makgatho-Malesu officially launches the authority's office in Gaborone. Despite being adopted by Botswana in 2009, it has taken two years for regulations to be passed in terms of the Act.  It is expected that the Act will now commence in earnest.

Gaborone: The Botswana Confederation of Commerce Industry and Manpower has welcomed the reservation of some tourism enterprises for citizens and companies that are wholly owned by Batswana.  The government announced in the December 30, 2011 Government Gazette, that guest houses (except corporate guest houses), mobile safaris, motorboats, tourist transfers, camp and caravan sites and mekoro are now reserved or Batswana or companies that are wholly owned by citizens of Botswana.

Gaborone: President Ian Khama will, for the fourth successive year since assuming office, not attend this week's African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Government spokesman Dr Jeff Ramsay confirmed that the President will not be attending but referred further Mmegi enquiries to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Speaking to Mmegi yesterday on his way to Addis, Foreign Minister Phandu Skelemani said that he was not expecting much from the first post-Muammar Gaddafi summit.

Lusaka: Kazungula district in Southern Province has the potential to boost the economy of Zambia once appropriate infrastructure is put up in the area. The district is a rural and gateway to countries in the southern Africa while it has tourism as well as fishing and farming capabilities. However, Kazungula district lacks appropriate infrastructure such as roads and industries to enable it realise its full economic potential.

Gaborone: At some point this year, the Government of Botswana and its neighbours will probably have to make a decision that will shape the economic future of the country and the region and result in by far the biggest infrastructure investment in Botswana's history. The question the leadership will face is the direction of the new proposed railway to the coast - should it be to the Atlantic Ocean, i.e. the Trans-Kalahari route to Walvis Bay in Namibia, or to the Indian Ocean via Zimbabwe to Southern Mozambique?

Johannesburg: South Africa's electricity exports are under the spotlight, as the threat of load shedding hit home this week when power utility Eskom warned that the national grid was under strain. Last year, Eskom sold more than 13 000 gigawatt hours (GWh) to South Africa's neighbours, to the value of R4.1-billion, or 6% of all electricity sold, according to its most recent annual report.