Botswana has a composite score of 1.11 out of 4, in the Emerging tier, at joint rank 29 of 54. The composite sits below the Southern Africa mean of 1.49 and the Africa mean of 1.33. The eight pillar scores are fellow-assigned values from the Regional Summary, and indicators are not scored. Strategy and Vision and Ethics and Inclusion are the strongest pillars at 1.40 each, and Implementation and Impact is the weakest at 0.40. Desk research in October 2026, which fellows have not verified and which did not inform the scores, found an unadopted draft National AI Policy, a Data Protection Act 2024 that is reported silent on AI, and no AI-specific law.
P1Strategy & Vision1.40 / 4Emerging
Strategy and Vision scores 1.40, in the Emerging tier, a fellow-assigned value. Desk research in October 2026 found that the National AI Policy is a draft. An Assistant Minister said on 13 August 2025 that it was in its final stage, and no Cabinet approval or adoption was found to September 2026 (S1.1, S1.2). The FY2025/26 digital transformation allocation of USD 66.8 million carries no AI-specific line item (S1.4). A May 2025 workshop on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Readiness Assessment Methodology included civil society and private sector. The draft policy has not been published for comment (S1.6). A roadmap, monitoring framework, review mechanism and African Union alignment were not determined (S1.8, S1.9, S1.10, S1.5).
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P2Governance & Regulation0.80 / 4Nascent
Governance and Regulation scores 0.80, in the Nascent tier, a fellow-assigned value. Desk research in October 2026 found that the Data Protection Act 2024 was assented on 29 October 2024 and commenced on 14 January 2025 (G2.2). As of 18 March 2026 the Information and Data Protection Commission had no prescribed method for registering data controllers (G2.2). The Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law finds the 2024 Act silent on automated decision-making and AI, and no AI guidance by the Commission was located (G2.3). The research confirmed that no AI-specific bill or law exists and that Botswana has not signed the Malabo Convention (G2.1, G2.7). No AI governance body or enforcement decision was found (G2.5, G2.8).
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P3Infrastructure & Data1.30 / 4Emerging
Infrastructure and Data scores 1.30, in the Emerging tier, a fellow-assigned value. Desk research in October 2026 found 5 data centre facilities in the Data Center Map directory (I3.1). The Digital Delta Data Centre was inaugurated on 25 November 2025 (I3.10). The Data Protection Act No. 18 of 2024 limits transfers to countries designated by Ministerial Order, with Commissioner authorisation (I3.8). The Southern African Development Community ICT Observatory reports 2025 international bandwidth of 168 Gbps; the series is inconsistent between years and the figure is indicative (I3.4). The research confirmed that landlocked Botswana has no submarine cable landing point and no hyperscaler cloud region (I3.3, I3.5). Data centre power capacity and data localisation were not determined (I3.2, I3.7).
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P4Human Capital1.00 / 4Emerging
Human Capital scores 1.00, in the Emerging tier, a fellow-assigned value. Desk research in October 2026 found 2 University of Botswana qualifications on the Botswana Qualifications Authority register, a BSc in Intelligent Systems and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, both effective 15 March 2024 (H4.3). Other institutions were not checked. The CSET Country Activity Tracker records 76 AI scholarly publications for 2024, up from 53 in 2023 (H4.4). The language lists checked support Setswana and do not list Kalanga (H4.10). The research did not determine AI researchers per million, AI patent filings, a government AI reskilling programme, a labour transition framework or the mandatory status of school computing (H4.1, H4.5, H4.7, H4.8, H4.6).
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P5Innovation & Ecosystem1.30 / 4Emerging
Innovation and Ecosystem scores 1.30, in the Emerging tier, a fellow-assigned value. Desk research in October 2026 found 1 company offering AI services in the TechBehemoths directory, which the research treats as a lower bound (N5.1). It confirmed that Botswana, whose national standards body is BOBS, is absent from the participating and observing member lists of ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42, the AI committee (N5.8). The Bank of Botswana launched a fintech sandbox in 2026, which is not AI-specific (N5.4). Private AI investment was not determined (N5.2). The research did not determine any AI incubator count, AI procurement rule, safety evaluation facility, ISO/IEC 42001 adoption, risk assessment framework or university-industry AI partnership (N5.3, N5.5, N5.6, N5.7, N5.9, N5.10).
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P6Ethics & Inclusion1.40 / 4Emerging
Ethics and Inclusion scores 1.40, in the Emerging tier, a fellow-assigned value. Desk research in October 2026 found that the Data Protection Act 2024 requires an impact assessment for high-risk processing involving new technologies, not an AI-specific assessment (E6.1). The Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law finds the Act silent on automated decision-making, so redress would rely on general data protection complaints (E6.4). Botswana validated its Readiness Assessment Methodology report at a May 2025 workshop and endorsed the New Delhi AI Impact Summit Declaration of 20 February 2026 (E6.7). No formal advisory role for civil society was found (E6.8). Bias audits, transparency obligations, court remedies and youth participation were not determined (E6.2, E6.3, E6.5, E6.10).
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P7Regional Integration1.20 / 4Emerging
Regional Integration scores 1.20, in the Emerging tier, a fellow-assigned value. Desk research in October 2026 found Botswana on the official signatory list of the Africa Declaration on Artificial Intelligence, Kigali, 4 April 2025 (R7.1, R7.2). Delegates took part in a Southern African Development Community workshop on data governance for AI readiness in Harare, reported on 14 August 2026 (R7.3). Botswana delivered a national statement at the United Nations Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva on 6 to 7 July 2026 (R7.9). It is among the 87 initial endorsers of the New Delhi AI Impact Summit Declaration (R7.10). Cross-border AI agreements, election provisions, a disinformation framework and platform engagement were not determined (R7.4, R7.5, R7.6, R7.8).
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P8Implementation & Impact0.40 / 4Nascent
Implementation and Impact scores 0.40, in the Nascent tier, a fellow-assigned value. Desk research in October 2026 did not determine any of the 10 indicators. No dedicated national AI policy or AI budget was found, and no sector AI budgets were reported as of May 2026 (M8.1). No monitoring report on AI governance was found (M8.5), and no government AI registry was found (M8.4). The research found no health AI regulation, no agriculture AI provisions and no AI guidance from the Bank of Botswana or NBFIRA (M8.2, M8.6, M8.7). Youth AI skills initiatives were reported in May 2026, but no education-ministry AI guidance was found (M8.8). No documented AI-related protective outcome was found (M8.9).
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