Determinants of Fixed Foreign Direct Investment in Botswana

Abstract

In this article, we explain the determinants of foreign direct investment in Botswana for the period 1980–2007. The government of Botswana has over the years provided investment incentives to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country but, despite these efforts, FDI has continued to be relatively low and skewed towards mining, especially diamond mining. Recent literature on investment is silent on the impact of economic growth rates on FDI inflows in developing countries such as this one. We examined economic variables that determined FDI in Botswana, and our study used the accelerator theory of investment to uncover the effects of FDI on the nation’s economy. The dependent variable, FDI is expressed as a function of GDP growth rates, human capital, terms of trade, domestic investment, and government expenditure. We used time series annual data from Botswana Central Statistics Office (CSO) and employed both the co-integration and vector error correction model to find the short-term and long-term effects of FDI. The econometric results showed that economic growth rates better explains FDI flows in Botswana. The significance of economic growth is consistent with the acceleration theory of investment. This finding confirms that the accelerator theory is useful as a policy tool for planning investment outlay in developing countries. The findings are also useful for policy-makers in shading light on investment determinants that could be employed to achieve more FDI in Botswana.