WTO obligations cut deeply into the regulatory autonomy of its members. A WTO member and developing country such as Botswana has to contend with this predicament of diminished trade policy space in crafting its national development policies and laws. Botswana's citizen economic empowerment...

Due to their level of development and challenges emerging out of that, developing countries (and least developed countries) occupy a very special position in the WTO multilateral system. The constitutive document of the WTO recognizes this and calls for positive measures to ensure access of...

Botswana has broken the stone of antiquity in its public health legislation by promulgating the 2013 Public Health Act (PHA). The new law repeals the 1971 Public Health Act. The aim of the new PHA is to update the Act and take into account current trends and developments in the area of public...

Under the Marrakesh Agreement, WTO members have a legal obligation to ensure that their laws and regulations conform with the WTO obligations. Botswana's Control of Goods (Imports Permit) Regulations of 1973 sets out the legal requirements that an importer has to meet in order to qualify for an...

The 15% Wheat Levy was introduced by the Government of Botswana in 2003 through the Control of Goods, Prices and Other Charges Regulations. It is levied on all wheat flour imported into the country. There has arisen a debate about the levy. Keith Jefferis, a distinguished Botswana economist,...