From BURS e-services to African telecommunications APIs, Botswana's integration landscape is richer than most developers realise. Here is a practical map.
Building software in Botswana often means integrating with government systems, regional banks, and telecoms that have varying API maturity. Knowing what is available saves weeks of discovery time and prevents architectural decisions you will regret.
Government and regulatory APIs
- BURS e-services: VAT return submission, TIN lookup. REST APIs available for registered tax practitioners.
- CIPA (Companies and Intellectual Property Authority): company registration lookup via web portal. No public API, but screen scraping is permissible for internal use.
- Bank of Botswana: exchange rates published daily as a downloadable CSV — trivial to parse.
- BOTA (Botswana Training Authority): levy payment portal — no API, but PDF automation exists.
Telecoms and payments
- Africa's Talking: USSD, SMS, voice, and airtime APIs covering Botswana (Mascom, Orange, BTC). Best-in-class developer experience, sandbox available.
- Infobip: enterprise SMS and WhatsApp Business API. Better for high-volume notifications.
- Orange Money Botswana: merchant push/pull API. Requires business registration and sandbox agreement.
- MyZaka (Mascom): similar to Orange Money. Integration via direct agreement with Mascom.
Logistics and freight
- DHL Express API: shipment creation, tracking, and rates. Full REST with Swagger docs.
- PostNet South Africa: domestic parcel tracking (useful for SA-origin e-commerce fulfillment).
- Botswana Post: no public API — tracking via web portal only as of 2025.
Mapping and geolocation
Google Maps Platform covers Botswana with good geocoding accuracy. OpenStreetMap / Nominatim is a free alternative with decent Gaborone coverage. For rural areas, what3words has mapped addresses for villages that do not have formal street addresses — increasingly relevant for delivery applications.
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