NEW MODEL TO FINANCE SMMEs TAKES SHAPE IN BOTSWANA.

Article By: Phenyo Babusi

Efforts to fund small businesses in Botswana may be entering a new chapter, as partnerships between finance and tourism sectors test ways to unlock harder-to-reach capital.

Speaking at the signing ceremony Stanbic Bank’s Chief Executive, Chose Modise highlights that the new initiative aims to de-risk lending for SMMEs long seen as vital to economic growth, but often left out of traditional funding structures.

According to Okavango Wilderness Safaris’s Caretaker Managing Director, Joe Matome, bridging the gap between banks and high-potential industries could ease access to funding in rural areas rippling into wider job creation and diversification.

Furthermore, Stanbic Bank’s Head Business & Commercial Banking, Lesego Osman emphasizes that as Botswana looks to grow beyond minerals, smarter financing models could become essential for turning small enterprises into engines of sustainable growth.

The new finance model aims to unlock funding, reduce lending risks, and boost support for local enterprises.