Real estate appetite for credit rises

Bank of Botswana annual Banking Supervision Report for 2021 shows that growth in distribution of private business loans for the five year period from 2017 to 2021 was largely dominated by commercial real estate gradually increasing from 20 to 25 percent. During the period trade, restaurants and bars declined from 33 percent in 2017 to 21 percent in 2021. Business services sub- sectors increased, while the mining and quarrying, manufacturing, decreased during the five year period. “Growth in economic activity for the commercial real estate and manufacturing sub- sectors was positive, which modestly increased their share in non- mining real GDP. For the tourism and hotels, and agriculture, forestry and fishing subsectors, output growth was negative in both 2020 and 2021”.