Learn how to start and grow a business in Botswana.
Use free business tools, read short lessons or bring our company-start course to your organisation.
See where your business stands.
Answer five questions to get your stage and a list of next steps.
Take the diagnostic →- 01Is your company registered with CIPA?YesNo
- 02Do you have a BURS tax (TIN) number?YesNo
+ 3 more on the full page.
Six tools. Use them now.
Play with these to get a sense of what you need, where you need to go, and the ideas you have — so you can get started faster. Your inputs save in your browser.
Company Registration Checklist
CIPA, BURS, bank account, trading licence — tick as you go.
Business Idea Scorecard
Score your idea against 10 criteria that predict viability.
Tender Readiness Checker
See if you can win government work — or what you need first.
Pricing Calculator
Inputs your costs and target. Outputs the rate you should charge.
Business Plan Canvas
Nine boxes. Fill them in, download a text file when done.
Financial Runway Calculator
How many months you have, and the revenue to break even.
How to Start a Company in Botswana.
Learn the steps from business idea to company registration and tax compliance. Available for schools, universities, incubators and youth programmes across Botswana.
Five short lesson previews, each with a task to try. Open one, then read the full lesson if you want more detail.
Check how much you know about running a company in Botswana.
Pick a topic. Each quiz takes a few minutes — for every wrong answer you'll get the correct answer with a one-line explanation.
Registration & CIPA
Company formation, CIPA, fees, and annual returns.
Start the quiz →Tax & BURS
Corporate tax, VAT thresholds, and the institution that runs it all.
Start the quiz →Tenders & PPRA
Government procurement, PPRA, and the citizen preference scheme.
Start the quiz →Deep dives on entrepreneurial topics.
How to register a company in Botswana, step by step
From name reservation to your Certificate of Incorporation — every step, every fee, every form. No jargon.
Why most small businesses in Botswana undercharge (and how to fix it)
Underpricing is the most common reason profitable businesses stay small. Here's how to calculate what you should actually charge.
What PPRA registration actually gets you
PPRA is not just a registration — it's the key to an entire government procurement market. Here is what it unlocks.
What BURS actually wants from you
Tax in Botswana is not complicated when you understand what BURS is tracking and when they expect it. A plain-English guide.
How to write a business plan that actually gets funding
Lenders and investors in Botswana want to see specific things. Most business plans miss all of them. Here is what to include.
The real reason your business is stuck at the same revenue
Most plateaus are not a marketing problem or a product problem. They are a systems problem. Here is how to diagnose yours.
Master Registration Checklist
Every form, every fee, every deadline — CIPA, BURS, bank account, trading licence, PPRA.
Register your company in 7 days without missing a single step.
Tendering Codes Guide
How PPRA codes work, the registration process, and how to pick the right codes for your business.
Position your company to bid on the tenders you can actually win.
Business Idea Scorecard
The 10 criteria that predict whether a business will work in Botswana, with a worked example.
Stop spending money on ideas that were never going to work.
Plain-language definitions for the acronyms you'll meet.
- CIPA
- Botswana's company registry. CIPA handles company name reservation, incorporation, annual returns, and intellectual property registration.Standard incorporation costs P360 and takes about 7 business days end-to-end.
- BURS
- The national tax authority. BURS administers income tax, VAT, PAYE and customs.Every registered company must obtain a BURS tax number within 30 days of incorporation. Registration is free.
- PPRA
- The body that regulates government procurement. Supplying anything to a ministry, parastatal or local authority requires PPRA registration with the right tender codes.PPRA registration takes 2–4 weeks once your documents are complete.
- TCC
- A document issued by BURS confirming a taxpayer is up to date with their filings and payments. Required for most government tenders, large contracts and licence renewals.
- VAT
- A consumption tax levied at 14% in Botswana. VAT registration becomes mandatory once annual turnover exceeds P1,000,000.VAT-registered businesses file returns every two months.
- PAYE
- Income tax deducted from employee salaries by the employer and remitted monthly to BURS.
- CEDA
- A government-backed lender that provides funding and business support to citizen-owned SMEs in Botswana.
- LEA
- A government agency providing training, mentorship and incubation services for small Botswana businesses.
- NDB
- A state-owned development finance institution that lends to Botswana businesses across agriculture, property, manufacturing and SMEs.
- Pula
- Botswana's national currency. Pula means "rain" — a national symbol of prosperity.
Companies and Intellectual Property Authority
Botswana Unified Revenue Service
Public Procurement Regulatory Authority
Tax Clearance Certificate
Value Added Tax
Pay As You Earn
Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency
Local Enterprise Authority
National Development Bank
Botswana Pula (BWP)