Botswana govt starts Air Botswana privatization drive

Feb 15, 2017: The Botswana government has begun the process of privatising loss-making national carrier Air Botswana.

In its call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) issued last week, the Ministry of Transport & Communications (MTC) said it was looking for suitable entities, companies, consortiums, or service providers capable of offering efficient and reliable air services to the needs of Botswana's business and tourism sectors through Air Botswana.

The EOI, it said, is to determine the level and type of interest there is currently on the market. As such, the MTC says it is open to receiving proposals for privatization including ownership, joint-ventures, franchising, concessions, partnerships or any other arrangement with commercial air carriers or investors able to competently manage and run the airline.

Air Botswana has suffered from a crisis of management in recent years with Botswana's former Minister of Transport and Communications, Tshenolo Mabeo, having sacked its entire board in 2015 citing their failure to devise a clear turnaround strategy for the ailing national airline. Since then, a revised interim leadership lead by Agnes Khunwane has crafted a plan although its longterm success is dependent on outside investment.