Assessing the Suitability of the Build Operate and Transfer Option to Botswana’s Public Private Partnership Programme Baakile Motshegwa & Thekiso. Molokwane Corresponding E-Mails: motshegwa@mopipi.ub.bw / thekiso.Molokwane@mopipi.ub.bw University of Botswana, Botswana Abstract The advent of Public Private Partnerships triggered confidence to ailing economies particularly those of the developing countries. Applied appositely, the Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) option of PPPs would facilitate the procurement of funds and technical expertise ultimately providing the much requisite infrastructure for the economies of the developing countries. The adoption of PPPs in Botswana is practically moving at a snail pace. With a legal and regulatory framework, a comparatively sound economy coupled with a stable socio-political environment, the country would, other things constant, be ahead of majority of the Sub Sahara African countries in terms of economic and infrastructure development through the implementation of PPPs. This paper explores the possibility of exploiting BOT as a driving force towards infrastructure and service provision in Botswana. The paper is desktop based, applies literature survey and adopts a qualitative approach for both data collection and analysis of content. In addition, the paper adopted the interpretivist research paradigm. The findings of the study indicate that despite limited constraints in sight, Botswana has in place, legal and institutional frameworks and capacity to implement PPP including, through the BOT option. The findings also indicate that the BOT option has potential to unlock the stagnant PPP programme in Botswana. Key words: Build, Operate and Transfer, Botswana, Public Private Partnerships Introduction Projects undertaken though the Build-operate-transfer (BOT) model of Public Private Partnerships (PPP) continue to attract increasing interest with the growing thrust towards privatizing infrastructure projects in both developing and developed countries (Nasirzadeh, Khanzadi & Alipour. 2014: p. 438). The BOT model aims at increasing the contribution share of the private sector in infrastructure investment, to relieve the burden of public finance, increase efficiency in the presentation of service while giving firms, who invest in developing countries, the opportunity to transfer their technological infrastructure and experience (Acar, 2019: p.15-16). BOT schemes are discernible in various infrastructure projects of large magnitude such as roads, expressways, railways, bridges, dams, ports, and power plants. There are constructed and operated by private firms under the PPP procurement system (Liou & Huang, 2008: p. 18). Typically, a BOT is a private sector participation model in which a project company is established to finance, design, construct and operate a facility for a concession period before it is transferred to the government (Ozdoganm, & Birgonul. 2000: p. 343). 1