Botswana Citizenship Programme Delayed Due to Regulatory Issues
Published: 26/Aug/2026
Source: The Botswana Gazette
Botswana’s ambitious entry into the global citizenship-by-investment market has stalled before formal applications could begin, leaving prospective investors waiting for the legal and administrative machinery needed to activate the programme.
The Impact Citizenship Programme was formally unveiled in September 2025 after President Duma Boko’s government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with investment migration consultancy Arton Capital on 26 September 2025. The initiative was later outlined in the government’s 2025 State of the Nation Address detailed report as a route through which qualifying investors could obtain citizenship in return for contributions to national development priorities.
The programme portal subsequently advertised that applications would open in early 2026. As of August 2026, however, the portal was still inviting prospective investors to register their interest rather than submit formal citizenship applications.
LAW NOT ENOUGH
The clearest official explanation for the delay came in the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs’ Committee of Supply speech delivered on 24 February 2026.
The ministry said the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2025, No. 30 of 2025, had been passed by Parliament in December 2025 and assented to, but that regulations were still being finalised to operationalise the law. The ministry said the Act would come into effect once those regulations were completed.
Read further: https://www.thegazette.news/news/citizenship-programme-stalls-before-launch/