Botswana's Information Technology Landscape
Overview
Domestic Market
ICT Policy
Telecomms
Regulatory
IT Diffusion
E-Business
E-Gov
ICT Production
IT Workforce
IT Geographics
IT Financing
Legal
Analysis
 

E-Business and Business Usage of ICT

An Air Botswana Flight Attendant

Internet Access and Web Presence(25)

IT usage by business is a rapidly growing area in Botswana. While the total number of websites continues to grow, the number of commercial sites number in the hundreds with everything from banks, tour companies, insurance firms, airlines and craft companies sporting websites. The most advanced portals offer some level of interactivity but the bulk of the sites are informational offering little to interactivity. Most businesses are now providing staff with internet and email access at their desks, and ICT technology is used in-house to improve productivity. The total number of users is about 15-20000 users countrywide.

 

 

E-Commerce Development(25)

There is an increasing interest in the use of e-commerce to serve the local population. A number of excellent examples include:

  • Barclays Bank of Botswana has a Telephone Banking service
  • Standard Chartered Bank is now offering customers internet access to their bank accounts to view account details
  • The Savannah Guest House in Palapye accepts most major credit cards over the web to reserve rooms
  • BotswanaCraft, an online purveyor of basketry and tapestry art, accepts orders for items over email and will soon introduce an internet shopping cart

A number of new E-Commerce firms, notably e-Biz, is negotiating deals with utilities in Botswana to allow customers to settle monthy bills with these corporations over the internet. In order to do this, e-Biz is using the services of the First National Bank of Botswana (FNBB) to clear transactions. Business Advertiser's, another E-Commerce firm, specializing in E-Commerce already offers a range of services including commerce enablement, security, digital certificates, secure transaction transport for B2B and B2C transactions.

Portals and Popular Websites

Below is a short list of some portal sites in Botswana

The Government of Botswana Web Portal

  • The Official home page of the Goverment of Botswana, this site is one of the primary means the goverment has for dispensing information to citizens

The Botswana Export Development and Investment Authority (BEDIA)

  • BEDIA is a private sector organization mandated by a parliamentary act that informs, promotes and provides various services to current and potential investors on setting up export oriented enterprises in Botswana.

The Botswana Telecommunications Authority

  • The BTA is the telecommunications regulatory authority in Botswana. Their site offers all manner of information regarding regulatory policy in ICT in Botswana as well as applications materials for radio and television licenses.

Info Botswana Internet Services (IBIS)

  • One of Botswana's premier Internet Service Providers and information portals.

The Botswana Gazette

  • " A quality weekly newspaper distributed every Wednesday throughout all major centers in Botswana" (src: The Botswana Gazette, About Us)

e-Dumela

  • A popular youth portal site