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Why Sending Money to Africa Is So Expensive

Mar 12, 2026

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4 min read

Why Sending Money to Africa Is So Expensive

Remittances from the African diaspora are one of the continent’s largest and most stable sources of capital. Africans abroad send over $90 billion every year back to the continent. In many countries, this money is larger than foreign direct investment or aid. Yet sending money to Africa remains expensive. In some corridors, the average cost is 6–9% per transaction, and in certain routes it can exceed 12%.

Stephen Lecha

Botswana’s Fuel Security Challenge: When Financial Architecture Fails Strategic Infrastructure

Mar 10, 2026

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6 min read

Botswana’s Fuel Security Challenge: When Financial Architecture Fails Strategic Infrastructure

As of March 2026, Botswana faces a worrying fuel security situation. According to statements by President Duma Boko, the country’s national strategic fuel reserves stand at only about nine days of supply. When commercial stocks held by private companies are included, the country has between 14 and 19 days of fuel available. Officials from the Botswana Energy Regulatory Authority (BERA) maintain that fuel imports for March are secured and that there is no immediate crisis at fuel pumps.

Stephen Lecha

Botswana’s Energy Security: What Rising Oil Price Risks Mean for Our Fuel Supply

Mar 5, 2026

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5 min read

Botswana’s Energy Security: What Rising Oil Price Risks Mean for Our Fuel Supply

Do you know how global geopolitical developments could affect Botswana’s fuel supply chains, reserves, and pricing, and what it means for energy security at home? Botswana is a landlocked country. We are far from the oil fields of the Middle East, offshore platforms, and the fuel pipelines that crisscross continents. Yet our daily lives, what we pay at the pump for fuel, how goods move on our roads, and how much it costs to run a business, are deeply connected to global oil markets.

Stephen Lecha

Africa’s Manufacturing Moment: A Practical Path to Industrial Capacity

Mar 2, 2026

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5 min read

Africa’s Manufacturing Moment: A Practical Path to Industrial Capacity

As of 2026, manufacturing contributes only 10–12% of Africa’s GDP, compared to the global average of 16–18%. In countries like China and Vietnam, manufacturing has been the engine of rapid income growth, export expansion, and job creation. Africa’s challenge is not ambition. It is structural execution.

Stephen Lecha

Financing BETP with What We Already Have: Turning Liquidity into Productive Capital.

Feb 27, 2026

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5 min read

Financing BETP with What We Already Have: Turning Liquidity into Productive Capital.

After reviewing Botswana’s December 2025 economic and financial statistics, provided by the Bank of Botswana, one conclusion becomes clear: Botswana does not lack money. Botswana lacks a coordinated system to deploy that money into productive development.

Stephen Lecha