Botswana, which is bordered by Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, has had high growth rates due to its sound economic management and its diamond mining industry. In order to diversify the economy, the Government created in 1999 an International Financial Services Center, and also put the focus on the development of Information and Communication Technologies.
Botswana has some strong advantages compared with other African countries: (i) it is a stable democracy with an excellent track record since independence in 1966, (ii) it has consistently invested a high proportion of its budget on education and skills training, (iii) it has a thriving domestic financial sector, which includes banks, insurance companies and a growing stock market, (iv) it has acceded to international conventions and is strictly observing internationally accepted guidelines on combating money laundering and financial crime. As a result, Transparency International, in its Corruption Perceptions Index of 2003, has rated Botswana the least corrupt country in Africa. These elements, added to a favorable offshore regime and to a strong political will to develop Internet use, give Botswana a chance to succeed in the development of Information and Communication Technologies.
