BSE/GCC wants to turn Gaborone into an Investment
Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) and Gaborone City Council (GCC) want to let ordinary Batswana buy into the city’s future through bonds.
The two organizations recently signed an agreement, which will see Botswana’s first municipal bond.
What is a Municipal Bond?
✅ A municipal bond is a way for GCC to borrow money from the market, including from ordinary people.
If you buy a bond:
✅You give money to the city for some years.
✅The city pays you extra money called interest.
✅At the end, you get back the money you gave.
👉 You become part-owner of the city’s projects, roads, schools, water pipes, and even solar panels.
“As we think about this municipal bond, at the center of it is the participation of the retail investor in helping transform the economic landscape of our municipalities," BSE CEO Aupa Monyatsi said during the signing ceremony.
“So it is important that we not only look at it as a way of transforming the landscape but creating and democratizing wealth for Batswana to participate in this journey.”
GCC wants to use the money to:
✅Improve public services.
✅Upgrade city facilities.
Examples How Retail Investors Were Included Around the World
Cambridge, USA
In 2017, minimum investment was $1,000 for Cambridge mini-bonds.
Money was used for:
✅Fixing school roofs.
✅Putting solar panels on the library.
✅Improving roads.
The bonds sold out quickly and even won an award.
Madison, USA
✅Madison sold “community bonds” in 2018.
✅First chance went to Madison people, before large investors like institutional investors.
Photo: BSE
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