BITC and Zotus City sign MoU for 20,507-hectare project in Botswana

Botswana Investment and Trade Centre and Zotus City Development Group have signed a memorandum of understanding for a proposed smart city, industrial hub and special economic zone in Ghanzi District. The agreement sets a land tenure and development framework for a project that could reshape investment, logistics and infrastructure in western Botswana.

Why it matters: - The MoU creates the first formal framework for Zotus City, a proposed smart city, industrial hub and Special Economic Zone in Botswana’s Ghanzi District. - The project is designed to support long-term investment, infrastructure delivery and institutional financing in a corridor linked to Botswana and the wider Southern African market. - The site sits on the Trans Kalahari Corridor, giving the development a logistics and trade advantage if the project advances.

What happened: - Botswana Investment and Trade Centre and Zotus City Development Group Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding for Zotus City at Junction 44 in Ghanzi District. - The agreement sets out proposed land tenure arrangements, development exclusivity and the next stages of project planning, investment mobilisation and implementation. - The MoU covers about 20,507 hectares, including about 4,200 hectares for the proposed city and a further 16,307-hectare city buffer. - Final site boundaries still depend on determination by the Ghanzi Land Board.

The details: - BITC intends, subject to required approvals, to apply for a head lease over the site and then sublease it to ZCDG’s Botswana project company. - ZCDG is the proposed master developer and commercialisation partner for the project. - ZCDG will lead master planning, feasibility work, investor engagement and financing workstreams. - ZCDG will continue engagement with affected landholders and communal land users in consultation with the relevant authorities. - The MoU gives ZCDG a framework for exclusivity in relation to the proposed development. - The project is moving through Botswana’s institutional framework, including engagement with the Special Economic Zones Authority on the proposed SEZ pathway. - ZCDG has assembled an international advisory and development team. - King & Spalding LLP is advising on international legal, investment and financing matters. - Bookbinder Business Law is serving as Botswana counsel. - Surbana Jurong and other technical advisers are handling master planning support.

Between the lines: - The structure points to a project that is trying to de-risk early-stage development by pairing land access with a defined legal and planning pathway. - The proposed exclusivity and lease structure suggest ZCDG is seeking control over execution while working inside Botswana’s public-sector approval process. - The inclusion of agriculture, livestock and meat-processing opportunities shows the project is being framed as more than a property development; it is also being positioned as a regional production and trade platform.

What's next: - ZCDG is advancing master planning, technical work, SEZ steps and financing efforts. - The group is also engaging institutional investors, development finance institutions, infrastructure partners and strategic operators internationally. - Remaining steps include land, planning and regulatory approvals, plus execution of definitive agreements. - The project still depends on applicable laws and the finalization of site boundaries and land arrangements.

The bottom line: - The MoU moves Zotus City from concept toward a defined development process, but the project still has to clear multiple approvals before construction or land transfer can proceed. - BITC CEO Olebile Keletsositse said, “We continue to facilitate ZCDG, and the signing of this MoU is yet another step towards the realisation of the City.”