DUBAI-UAE-based developer ALBADDAD Holding has announced a US$1.9 billion plan to build a new mixed-use city in Botswana, unveiled in the presence of President Duma Gideon Boko at a groundbreaking ceremony held in Dubai on Sunday.
New Botswana City will span 1.24 million square metres in the capital Gaborone and is designed to position the landlocked Southern African nation as a regional hub for trade, tourism and international business. The project is being developed in partnership with the Botswana Development Corporation (BDC), the government’s main investment arm.
The development will be built across three phases and include 51 residential towers spread across 17 complexes, 18 commercial and office buildings, five international hotels, and a boulevard district with retail, dining and entertainment facilities. At full capacity, the project is projected to generate between 25,000 and 37,500 direct and indirect jobs.
The anchor development and first phase is the ALBADDAD Botswana Global Exhibition and Convention Centre, a 124,000-square-metre events facility valued at US$292 million. The venue is intended to host a year-round calendar of trade fairs, industry forums, corporate events and regional summits, drawing international capital and supporting Botswana’s small business ecosystem.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Boko said the project would be judged by what it delivers for ordinary Botswanans. “Global capital can enter Botswana under clear terms, with clear benefits and respect for national priorities,” he said.
Dr Alfateen Hussein Albaddad, Chairman of ALBADDAD Holding, described the development as “the gateway to Africa’s trade future,” adding that its true measure would be the employment and economic opportunity it generates rather than the buildings themselves.
BDC Managing Director Oteng Keabetswe said the return must come through “jobs, procurement, skills transfer, tax revenues, tourism receipts and value retained in Botswana.”
Founded in the UAE in 1971, ALBADDAD operates across more than 50 markets with a workforce of over 7,000. The group’s past projects include COP28 Dubai and the Riyadh Front Exhibition and Convention Center.
