Department of Information

The Department of Information Services (DoI) is the Botswana government body responsible for state print media and the national news agency. It comprises two principal divisions, the Botswana Press Agency (BOPA) and a Publications unit, and produces the government’s daily newspaper, the Daily News, and the magazine Kutlwano. Like the Department of Broadcasting Services, DoI is a department of central government rather than an independent public-media institution, and its outlets function as primary channels for official communication.

Media assets

News agency: Botswana Press Agency (BOPA)

Print media: Daily News, Kutlwano

Ownership and governance

DoI was established in April 2004 following the split of the former Department of Information and Broadcasting into two separate departments. It is a central-government department within the State President / Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration portfolio, and all senior positions and editorial appointments are filled by the government in accordance with the Public Service Act, with no independent board or governance body overseeing its operations and no provision for editorial insulation from political influence.

The government announced in April 2025 an organisational assessment of both DoI and the Department of Broadcasting Services to clarify roles and career progression; the baseline reported that DoI had around 258 staff against a budgeted 276, with many on stagnant salary grades for over a decade, weighing on morale and advancement.

The political context shifted markedly during the cycle. In the general election of October 2024, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) lost power for the first time since independence in 1966, and the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) coalition leader Duma Boko took office as president on 1 November 2024, with Ndaba Gaolathe as Vice-President. The change of government renewed debate over the governance and independence of state media, though as of May 2026 DoI remained a government department with no enacted reform establishing an independent footing.

Source of funding and budget

DoI is overwhelmingly reliant on state subsidies. As documented in the State Media Monitor 2025 baseline, the most recently disclosed official figures showed allocations of BWP 64.9 million (approximately US$5.6 million) in 2018 and BWP 73.4 million (approximately US$6.1 million) for the fiscal year ending March 2020, representing close to 90% of the department’s total budget. Limited advertising is accepted through DoI publications, but State Media Monitor baseline review indicates that commercial revenue is marginal relative to state funding. No newer standalone DoI budget or audited financial statement was identified, and transparency over the department’s finances remains low.

Editorial independence

DoI’s outlets operate within the framework of government directives. As the State Media Monitor 2025 baseline records, despite public statements affirming a commitment to balanced journalism, the department’s editorial line is shaped by its official mandate to promote government policies and priorities, and independent media observers have historically described BOPA, the Daily News and Kutlwano as closely aligned with the government of the day in tone and content. BOPA content is used across government print and online output and is carried by state broadcast platforms such as Radio Botswana and Botswana Television, extending the government’s communication reach. There is no statutory framework guaranteeing the editorial independence of DoI or its outlets, nor any independent oversight body monitoring content standards; DoI is not subject to an independent public-media board or an external editorial-standards regulator comparable to the licensing framework applied to private broadcasters, and while the Office of the Ombudsman occasionally raises concerns about media bias, such interventions are sporadic and lack enforcement authority.

AI and digital policy

DoI publishes the Daily News online at dailynews.gov.bw alongside its print edition, and distributes BOPA content digitally to client outlets. The broader debate over the governance and modernisation of Botswana’s state media remained unresolved during the cycle.

No publicly available DoI policy on AI-generated content, synthetic-media disclosure, or content provenance frameworks such as C2PA was identified. Botswana’s media-regulatory framework does not currently include sector-specific provisions governing AI-generated content, deepfakes, or synthetic-media authentication standards.

May 2026