Africa-Press – Botswana. Various stakeholders, chief among them the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC), have described the ambitious smart city project to be developed by the Zotus Group in the Ghanzi District as a credible investment.
Allaying fears expressed by various members of the public, particularly on social media, that the Zotus Group is pursuing a fraudulent and unattainable project, BITC chief executive officer (CEO) Mr Keletsositse Olebile stated that, based on their extensive assessment, the project was legitimate.
Addressing a press briefing in Gaborone on Thursday, Mr Olebile said BITC had conducted a comprehensive due diligence appraisal of the company involved and discovered that Zotus Group International, a company domiciled in London, and its subsidiary, Zotus City Development Group Ltd, incorporated in Botswana, were credible.
“Zotus Group International is registered with the Companies House of the United Kingdom, as a holding and investment structuring vehicle, and has maintained a dormant filing status until active operations and revenues begin. This dormant status is the standard for early-stage multinational special purpose vehicles (SPVs), which explains the £1 (over P17) capital reported in their latest accounts. This was compliance to remain active,” Mr Olebile said.
He said the Zotus Group functioned as a master developer entity, designed to mobilise project-specific capital in partnership with sovereign wealth funds, banks, engineering, procurement, and construction partners.
“They first engaged BITC in 2020 through our UK networks, and in 2021, Zotus participated at a high-level round table alongside other UK companies exploring investment in Botswana, and discussions with the company continued,” he said.
He added that Zotus further held discussions with a Botswana delegation in 2023, and in early 2025 at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where they pitched the proposal to develop the Dubai-style smart city, originally focused around the Okavango Delta, and after considering sensitivities around the delta environment, settled for an alternative site, the Kalahari Desert.
Mr Olebile said subsequent to that proposal, there were extensive consultations with various stakeholders in Botswana before a Memorandum of Understanding was signed.
Mr Olebile said all necessary checks and balances were done for this project, and they were privy to the identities of the two large-scale investment banks and sovereign wealth facilities that had been engaged by the Zotus Group. However, due to a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), they could not publicly reveal their identities.
For his part, Presidential Advisor for Projects in the Office of the President, Mr Omphile Sehurutshe, said the current administration, led by President Advocate Duma Boko, was interested in large-scale mega projects that could transform the country’s economy to shape Botswana for future generations.
Zotus Group chief executive officer Mr Davison Simango, said their role was to facilitate reputable banks, sovereign wealth funds, legal and technical experts who have extensive experience working on similar projects elsewhere, working in partnership with the Botswana government, BITC, Ghanzi District Council, and the Trans-Kalahari Corridor.
“We have assembled the right people who have the relevant expertise and knowledge to work on this project. The Zotus City vision has been endorsed by those who have worked with similar projects in the Middle East, and the deputy mayor of New York has discussed the possibility of the two cities collaborating,” Mr Simango said.
Ghanzi District Council Chairman, Mr Shane Kebadile, said the area chosen for the location of the city, Junction 44, at the intersection of the road to Ghanzi township and the A2 highway to Charles Hill and Mamuno, had always been foreseen as a potential location for investment.
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