One of the first EV at Selebi Phikwe phase 2 expansion plant showcased in Selebi Phikwe plant on July, 8, 2026. Photo: Bakang Tiro, bird story agency
Botswana wants to become one of Africa’s leading electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing hubs by 2030. As government invests in the sector, local businesses, engineers and entrepreneurs are already positioning themselves to supply the emerging value chain, bringing new hope to Selebi-Phikwe and the country’s industrial future.
By Bakang Tiro, bird story agency
Inside a factory in Selebi-Phikwe, engineer Ketshephaone Jacob is preparing for a market that barely existed in Botswana a few years ago. His company manufactures LED lighting, but he believes the country’s ambitious plans to build an electric vehicle industry could soon create demand for locally made components and open new opportunities for manufacturers like his.
As Botswana invests more than US$1 billion to become an African electric mobility hub, entrepreneurs, engineers and manufacturers are betting the transition will revive industries, create jobs and breathe new life into towns long searching for a new economic future.
Long dependent on diamonds, which generate about 80% of its export earnings, Botswana is using electric vehicles (EVs) to diversify its economy. By 2030, it aims to produce 60% of its targeted manufacturing capacity locally, building not only vehicles but an entire industrial ecosystem spanning battery minerals, component manufacturing, engineering, logistics and specialist suppliers.
At the heart of that ambition is Selebi-Phikwe, the former copper and nickel mining town earmarked as the country’s EV manufacturing hub. As large-scale production plans gather momentum, companies such as The Bulb World Botswana are positioning themselves to supply the emerging industry, hoping Botswana’s electric mobility drive will spark a new era of industrial growth.
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Local manufacturers preparing for the opportunity**
The Chairperson of the National Association of the Small Micro and Medium Enterprises (NASMMEs) Sello Motseta explained that SMMEs both in the formal and informal trade are looking forward to reap benefits of the EVs industrial cluster.
“The SMMEs have an opportunity to grow from the EV industry… Growth is imminent for our sector,” said Motseta.
The Bulb World Botswana, the country’s only manufacturer of LED lighting, was founded by young entrepreneur and engineer Ketshephaone Jacob. The company established its manufacturing plant in Selebi-Phikwe and supplies customers across Botswana. Most of its workforce comprises young graduates, particularly from mining and engineering backgrounds.
Jacob, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, believes The Bulb World is well positioned to become part of Botswana’s emerging electric vehicle value chain, especially as large-scale EV production is expected to be centred in Selebi-Phikwe.
“We specialise on all types of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting for indoor and outdoor usage,” explained Jacob. “We have the capacity to produce for EVs and we are training some of our engineers on EVs. I recently benchmarked in USA on some of best light production companies for EVs.”
Jacob says LED technology represents the latest advances in energy-efficient lighting, with LED products using up to 80% less energy than Compact
Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs). As EV production gathers pace, he believes The Bulb World’s biggest strengths are its local roots, product quality and competitive pricing.
“Our competitive edge is that we’re home-grown, we manufacture superior quality products and our pricing is really affordable.”
For Jacob, however, the opportunity is about more than business growth. He sees the company as playing a role in the economic revival of Selebi-Phikwe.
“I was born and raised in Selebi-Phikwe, so that is a town that is very close to my heart. Having grown up there I know what the town was like when BCL was around and I deliberately made sure that we set up our plant in the SPEDU region and hire 80% of our staff from Selebi-Phikwe so that we try and revitalise the area to what it was before.”
Jacob’s decision to establish his factory in Selebi-Phikwe reflects a much larger ambition. Once sustained by the BCL copper and nickel mine, the town has spent the past decade searching for a new economic future following the mine’s closure in 2016.
The government now wants electric vehicle manufacturing to drive that revival.
The Selebi-Phikwe Economic Diversification Unit (SPEDU), established after the mine’s closure, is leading efforts to attract investment. Appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Statutory Bodies and State-Owned Enterprises in June 2026, Acting Chief Executive Officer Othata Batsetswe said SPEDU has facilitated more than 157 enterprises worth P3.4 billion, supporting more than 8,000 jobs.
He said investor commitments of about P340 million had already been secured, with a further P120 million under advanced negotiation. SPEDU’s broader investment pipeline is valued at between P5.9 billion and P6.8 billion across sectors including e-mobility, metallurgical beneficiation, chemicals, renewable energy, agribusiness, logistics and advanced manufacturing.
From strategy to production
Botswana’s EV industry is being driven by the Ministry of Trade and Entrepreneurship through public-private partnerships backed by the National e-Mobility Strategy and the annual Metallurgy Hub Consultative Forum.
Assistant Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship Baratiwa Mathoothe said Botswana has moved beyond planning and is now implementing its electric mobility strategy, which aims to achieve at least 60% local EV manufacturing capacity by 2030 through investments of about US$1 billion.
“There has been pilot EVs at lower scale and we have held a second Metallurgy Consultative Forum early this month (June 2026) in Selebi-Phikwe where discussions were focused on possible funding ways and investors have come on board. Selebi Phikwe will be housing a big EV production plant which its construction is expected to commence sometime late this year,” said Mathoothe.
Botswana took a major step in 2024 with the opening of a semi-automated EV assembly plant in Gaborone. Supported by two Chinese manufacturers, the factory can assemble three vehicles a day and has already produced the country’s first electric buses and SUVs.
Mathoothe said the facility demonstrates Botswana’s commitment to developing a domestic EV industry.
“This is one of the examples of our commitment to e-mobility. We want to play a part in this, not just for our economy and environment but also to enhance those aspects of our knowledge economy that optimise our natural endowments.”
Figures from the Department of Roads, Transport and Safety (DTRS) show Botswana has nearly 500 registered electric vehicles, including buses, SUVs and public transport vehicles. Acting DTRS Director Kgakafela Rankomo expects that number to rise as local assembly expands.
“The ministry of Transport and Infrastructure is key stakeholder in EVs market. We are a regulator and register of all vehicles in Botswana through DTRS. The registered EVs that we have are those that came in as imports and the ones assembled in Gaborone e-mobility plant. Numbers will grow with time,” he said.
Despite the momentum, significant challenges remain before electric vehicles become mainstream in Botswana.
The biggest constraint is charging infrastructure. EV owners say charging stations need to become as accessible as conventional fuel stations if more motorists are to make the switch from petrol and diesel vehicles.
EV driver Mooketsi Palema, who drives about 200km from Jwaneng to Gaborone each day, said traffic on the busy mining route was a challenge. ”So, sometimes the car power is consumed when stuck in the traffic. I suggest that we must have as many charging stations across our major highways as possible.”
Awareness is another obstacle. Some motorists say there is still limited public understanding of how electric vehicles operate and the benefits they offer. Government has acknowledged the information gap and says the Department of Roads, Transport and Safety (DTRS), working with media partners, will lead public awareness campaigns to improve understanding and encourage wider adoption.
Policy driving diversification
Botswana’s electric mobility ambitions are anchored in the National e-Mobility Strategy, launched in October 2024. The strategy initially targeted the production of 50 electric vehicles and 30 buses, supported by tax exemptions and subsidies to encourage local adoption.
Government has identified electric vehicle manufacturing as a key pillar of economic diversification, with more than 2,000 jobs expected across the sector.
It is also investing in skills development through initiatives such as the University of Botswana’s pilot EV production programme, which trains engineering students and recently partnered with the national e-Mobility team during the Business Botswana Northern Trade Fair in Francistown.
Students are also gaining practical experience at the Gaborone EV assembly plant, where they work alongside experienced engineers.
Among them is Charity Bopadile, a third-year mechanical engineering student at the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST).
“I am a third-year mechanical engineering student and I am happy to be the first female engineering student to be hands on and learning from experienced engineers here. I am excited and will do more research on EVs.”
Botswana’s ambitions extend beyond vehicle assembly. The country is using its mineral wealth to develop industries that support the EV value chain.
As part of its mineral beneficiation strategy, about P1.4 billion (US$103.6 million) will be invested in a plant to manufacture critical mining chemicals used in battery production. The facility, expected to be Southern Africa’s first integrated plant of its kind, will be built in Palapye with rail access to Sowa Town, where soda ash—one of its key raw materials—will be sourced before products are transported to regional markets.
The government also sees opportunities to develop battery manufacturing rather than exporting raw minerals. In his State of the Nation Address last year, President Duma Boko said Botswana’s mineral wealth could support industries built around battery production.
Alongside manufacturing, Botswana is investing in solar-powered charging infrastructure to support EV adoption while taking advantage of the country’s abundant sunshine to lower energy costs.
Independent economist and financial markets expert Dr Mosimane Rammika said the EV industry could help Botswana generate greater value from its mineral resources while creating jobs.
Africa’s EV market was valued at US$17.4 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach US$28 billion by 2030.
“Botswana would tap into this potential and she has advantage because there have been work already done in line with the EVs plant in Gaborone. Jobs are immense in the EVs industry. The value chain is strong and can have wide impact on the economy with youth benefiting from potential jobs,” said Dr Rammika.
He said the P400 billion National Development Plan (NDP 12) would also be critical to helping Botswana realise its ambitions to build an electric vehicle industry.
For entrepreneurs like Jacob, Botswana’s EV ambitions are about more than new vehicles. They represent the possibility that towns such as Selebi-Phikwe can once again become centres of industry and employment. Whether that vision becomes reality will depend on how quickly Botswana can build not just electric vehicles, but the businesses, skills and infrastructure that support an entire manufacturing ecosystem.
bird story agency