Green pastures abroad, golden passports at home
As Botswana nationals leave home, foreigners are courted with citizenship for sale.
Keletso Thobega in Gaborone
The United Kingdom has imposed visa requirements on Botswana nationals for the first time, citing a surge in arrivals who later seek asylum. At the same time, Botswana’s government is offering “instant citizenship” to foreigners for $75,000 a person.
The UK says that 1,835 Botswana nationals legally reside in the UK and 1,329 have refugee status. Many asylum-seekers cite discrimination, homophobia, gender-based violence, and ritual killings as the reasons they fled Botswana but UK authorities appear to regard some of the claims as fraudulent. “We want to disrupt abuse of our immigration system,” UK foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said of the recent policy change. In June, British authorities broke up a ring of six Botswana citizens who allegedly smuggled 200 people into the country over two years.
For many locals, migration is about survival. “There’s a huge gap between the rich and the poor,” said Angela Tshiping, who left Botswana for the UK six years ago. “Living overseas as a foreigner has its challenges but the decent pay is better than struggling.” The average worker in Botswana earns $500 a month.
Despite Botswana’s long-standing political stability, it consistently ranks among the world’s least happy countries. In the 2024 World Happiness Report, it scored just 3.38 out of 10 and ranked 137th of 143 countries. This hints at a deep-seated frustration rooted in limited opportunities and shrinking economic prospects.
As it faces its bleakest economic crisis in decades, Botswana’s government is counting on foreigners finding the country more appealing than many locals do. In a scheme managed by Canadian company Arton Capital, the government is offering citizenship to foreigners who are willing to pay $75,000 per applicant or $90,000 for a family.
Arton Capital says 464 people have already expressed interest in the scheme, which was announced earlier this month. It could work if it “balances attracting foreigners with protecting national interests”, says business consultant Bakang Phuthego.