This booklet examines access to financial services, particularly banking services, in
Botswana. The issue is a topical one, given widespread concerns that most of the
population do not have access to financial services, and as a result may be excluded
from full participation in the modern monetary economy. The aim of this booklet is
threefold:
• To present general issues around why access to finance is important, from both
economic development and social perspectives;
• To present comprehensive information on access to finance in Botswana, drawing
in particular on data collected by the FinScope™ Survey carried out in 2004; and
• To discuss the challenges of making access to finance more inclusive in Botswana,
thus enabling lower-income groups to participate more effectively in the modern
economy, and to make some suggestions as to how access can be improved.