03 August 2023

Botswana wants to establish cooperation agreements with Angola in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT), as per Thulagano Segokgo, the Botswana minister of transport and telecommunications.

Botswana wants to interconnect with Angola via a fibre optic land line. The Botswana authorities have also expressed interest in acquiring the services of Angola’s AngoSat-2 telecoms satellite.

This initiative is in line with the National Broadband Strategy (NBS) launched in 2018 by the Botswana government as part of its digital transformation ambitions. It aims to connect every citizen, business, and community to high-speed, appropriate-quality connectivity at affordable prices. In March 2022, the executive launched a project dubbed SmartBots which aimed to connect 500 villages to the internet across the country.

If negotiations are successful, the fibre optic interconnection and AngoSat-2 satellite capabilities should help accelerate the adoption of mobile services in Botswana, expanding opportunities for residents across the nation.