Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to promote trade with Botswana.

Currently the Department for International Trade (DIT) does not have a dedicated trade promotion resource in Botswana, trade related enquiries are initially supported by colleagues in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), namely the High Commissioner, Deputy High Commissioner and FCO Prosperity. However, as trade promotion activity across the whole of Southern Africa is managed regionally, the hub in Johannesburg provides support to post where needed.

A recent example of success is a Thales deal to supply the Botswana government with equipment to help in the fight against illegal wildlife trade. In this case the deal was also supported by DIT’s Defence and Security Organisation (DSO) in London.