Relationship dossier
Botswana
Zambia
Relationship assessment
Botswana–Zambia relations include practical cooperation on the Kazungula cross-border link.
Botswana toward Zambia
+35Botswana participated with Zambia in developing the Kazungula Bridge and associated border-crossing facilities, creating a direct transport link between the countries.
Zambia toward Botswana
+35Zambia participated with Botswana in developing the Kazungula Bridge and associated border-crossing facilities, creating a direct transport link between the countries.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship includes practical cooperation on a major cross-border transport project at Kazungula. That shared infrastructure is a substantial bilateral feature, but the breadth and durability of cooperation in other areas are unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Botswana and Zambia have cooperated on cross-border transport infrastructure at Kazungula. Their governments jointly advanced the Kazungula Bridge and associated border-crossing facilities, improving a key connection between the countries. This is a concrete area of bilateral cooperation, though the broader scope and continuity of government-to-government cooperation are unclear.
Key developments
The Kazungula Bridge, developed through cooperation involving Botswana and Zambia, was officially opened.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and activity of broader bilateral cooperation beyond Kazungula are unclear.
- The implementation and ongoing operation of bilateral arrangements at the border are unclear.