Botswana is a country of focus for the Noncommercial Alcohol initiative of Global Actions on Harmful Drinking.

Little is known about the volume of unrecorded alcohol production in the country, though anecdotal evidence suggests that the informal alcohol sector is significant. Reliable data will be invaluable in assisting the successful implementation of comprehensive measures and policies to address harmful drinking.

Botswana is currently undergoing a revision of its regulatory and enforcement frameworks for alcohol sale and public consumption generally. As part of this process, driven by the President, the traditional practice of home brewing for sale and the retailing of chibuku (commercially produced traditional-style sorghum beer) from private homes have come under scrutiny. The long-standing ministerial exemption of the relevant portions of the Liquor Act is set to be revoked—likely in the course of 2011—and only commercially licensed premises will be permitted to sell alcohol. These changes will have a radical impact on the noncommercial alcohol landscape of Botswana.

At the request of ICAP, Emang Professional Services, a Botswana research consulting company, designed and conducted a Pilot Study of Noncommercial Alcohol in Botswana with the intention of contributing to the understanding the informal alcohol sector and informing on the scope and methodology of a more general National Study that would follow. The 2010 Pilot Study was conducted in one urban location, Nkoyaphiri (a low-income area of greater Gaborone), and one rural location, Mogobane village, 50 km to the south of Gaborone. The results of this Pilot Study are now available here.

About the research team: 

• Project Manager and Director of Research – Alexander von Rudloff is the Director of research consulting company Emang Professional Services and the author of numerous economic survey reports, market studies, sociological research reports, and similar papers. In conducting the Pilot Study he undertook the desk-based review, conducted interviews, and moderated focus groups. He was also responsible for research assistants’ training, fieldwork supervision, coordination, data analysis, and writing of the Pilot Study Report. 
•  Project Director and Quality Assurance – John P. Hinchliffe has 26 years of experience working in senior management positions in Botswana and as a consultant in accounting-, tax-, and finance-related disciplines. John has participated in a wide variety of consultancy projects. He maintained overall control of the running of the Pilot Study with emphasis on key quality control and timeline issues.
• Project Advisor, Sociological Aspects – Dr. Godisang Mookodi is Senior Lecturer in Sociology and former Head of the Department of Sociology at the University of Botswana. She is the author of numerous papers on gender issues, HIV/AIDS, sexual harassment, human rights, and violence against women. She advised in all phases of the Pilot Study, with specific input on sociological perspectives, training, and data analysis. She was also involved in the recruitment and selection of research assistants.
• Research Assistant – Monkgogi Lenao holds an MSc in Environmental Science from the University of Botswana. He assisted with the conduct of the Rapid Situation Assessment and was the Field Coordinator for the Diary Method phase of the study.

Chemical Analysis team:

• Team Leader and Organic Chemist – Dr. Renameditswe Mapitse is the Head of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Botswana and has published in the areas of synthetic organic chemistry and phytochemistry. She holds an MSc in natural products chemistry (University of Botswana) and a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom.
• Analytical Chemist – Dr. Harriet Okatch is a Lecturer in the Chemistry Department at the University of Botswana and has published in the area of analytical chemistry. She holds a PhD in analytical chemistry from the University of Botswana.
• ICP-MS Scientist – Dr. Mingzhe Zhai is a Senior ICP-MS Scientist in the Faculty of Science at the University of Botswana. He holds an MSc in petrology (Institute of Geology, Academia Sinica, China) and a PhD in geology from the McMaster University, Canada.
• Research Assistant – Ms. E Moshoeshoe

We will report progress regularly, so please visit this page again soon for ongoing updates on our efforts.