Botswana and Germany maintain excellent bilateral relations. The two countries are reliable partners within the United Nations and share common values.

Visits by the then President of Botswana, Seretse Khama Ian Khama, to Berlin in 2017 and by the then Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Müller to Botswana in August 2018, as well as a state visit by Federal President Frank‑Walter Steinmeier in November 2018, were highlights of bilateral political relations. The German Embassy in Gaborone opened in 1975, and Botswana has had an Embassy in Berlin since 2013.

A delegation from the Bundestag Committee on Economic Affairs and Energy visited Botswana in February 2019. The visit focused mainly on vocational training, the outlook for Botswana’s economic diversification and renewable energy.

Trade between Germany and Botswana is modest, as is German direct investment in the country. Raw materials are Botswana’s main export to Germany, while Germany’s principal exports to Botswana are electrical engineering products and machinery. Botswana sources the majority of its imports from South Africa, including many German products that do not appear in bilateral trade statistics, however.

Owing to its classification as an upper middle income country, Botswana is no longer a recipient of bilateral German development funds. However, projects still do take place with German involvement, for instance to promote vocational education and training, or within the framework of the Federal Government International Climate Initiative. The cooperation of the EU and Germany with the Southern African Development Community (SADC), whose secretariat is located in Botswana, offers the country further benefits, including in the areas of water management and wildlife protection.