Botswana

Botswana gained its independents in 1966 and with the discovery of its rich diamond mines has transformed this country from one of the poorest to one of the richest countries in Africa. Botswana's partnered up with De Beers which is a global diamond giant. They signed a 50/50 agreement to mine Jwaneng, the worlds richest diamond mind in southern Botswana. That means they mine as an owner instead of just collecting royalties. De Beers is also building its head office in Gaborone the capital of Botswana and plans to shift its center from London to Botswana making the country a central hub for the diamond industry.

The government of Botswana knows that diamond mining is a finite resource and will one day dry up. They have implemented various business practices that will make their country look attractive to investors. For instance they have no foreign exchange control, no duties and quotas. The corporate tax for manufacturing is a low 15% and with a stable work force plus a stable economy and lastly   Botswana has the reputation as the least corrupt nation in Africa. All this makes Botswana a competitor for future growth in business. Botswana also has a substation amount of reserves. They have a reserve of roughly 19 months of imports of goods and services, that equates out to USD 8.8 billion which is a lot for a country in Africa.

Botswana has one of the highest rates of HIV in the world. Nearly 25 percent of all adults in the country are infected with the virus. Only the nearby kingdom of Swaziland has a higher rate. But Botswana is also remarkable for its response to the epidemic. It has one of the most comprehensive and effective HIV treatment programs in Africa. Transmission of HIV from infected mothers to their newborn babies has been brought down to just 4 percent. A decade ago, Botswana was facing a national crisis as AIDS appeared on the verge of decimating the country's adult population. Now, Botswana provides free, life-saving AIDS drugs to almost all...