Botswana ranked top 10 business communities: report

Botswana has been ranked among the global top ten emerging markets for "most optimistic business communities", in the 2015 Grant Thornton International Business Report released this week.

The ranking comes despite the general fall in confidence globally, and with uncertainties weighing heavily on business growth prospects.

The report said that Botswana, which is the only African country on the top list, ranked position seven with a business confidence of 54 percent.

According to the report, the key to reflecting business optimism into reality is implementation of initiatives and easing of procedures involved in setting up or running businesses in Botswana, which will in turn make a positive difference.

Under the surveyed categories, Botswana ranks top in businesses expecting an increase in investment over the next 12 months. Furthermore, over the same period, 68 percent of businesses in the country are most likely to increase their staff headcount.

A total of 35 countries were surveyed in the index. India was ranked as the most optimistic country in the top ten with a confidence rate of 98 percent.

The Grant Thornton study brings about a positive outlook to Botswana business environment after the country slipped eight positions down the "ease of doing business" in the World Bank's 2015 Doing Business report released last November. At the time, paying taxes, access to electricity and credit were cited as among the major hindrances to conducting business in the country. Endi