Apply In-Person

1. To Start a Co-operative Society in Botswana, you have to register the co-operative with the Department for Co-operative Development under the Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry. Please view the Department for Co-operative Development contact details in the “Office Locations & Contacts” section below
2. You can obtain the application form for registration of a co-operative in person from the Department for Co-operative Development or download the form directly through this link:Link
3. First, if you wish to form a financial co-operative, you need to form a group of twenty people or more and if you wish to form any other co-operative society, you need to form a group of ten people or more. Either way, your group members must be 18 years and above
4. Then establish the objectives of your co-operative. This can be archived by focusing on the most common needs that your group would like to satisfy.
5. Conduct a feasibility or viability study and keep the report of the study. Note that the research will determine the economic and financial viability of the proposed Co-operative Society.
6. Together with your group, make the by-laws of your co-operative (Constitution). The by-laws must be in line with the co-operatives act.
7. Then complete the application form in step 2 above and attach all the required documents as mentioned in the “Required Documents” section below. Note that the application form must be signed by all members of the co-operative society
8. With the complete application, visit the Department for Co-operative Development  office in your location and pay the application fees at the cashier and obtain the payment receipt
9. Then submit your application to the officer at the service desk along with the payment receipt
10. The official will check if your form is completed as required and submit the application to the relevant officials for processing
11. The director of the department will assess your application and determine if it meets all the requirements to be registered as a co-operative society
12. Based on the assessment the director will decide to approve or reject the application for registration of the co-operative
13. If your application is approved for registration, the director will a certificate of registration of the co-operative society along with a certified copy of your by-laws
14. If your application is rejected, the director will issue a written document stating the reasons why the application is rejected. You can opt to appeal this decision to the minister within one month of receiving the refusal letter. Note that the Minister’s decision on the appeal shall be final.

• Complete application form
• By-laws
• Viability report

Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry
Address : Plot 54380, Central Business District
Private Bag 004
Gaborone
Botswana
Tel. (+267) 3601200
Fax. (+267) 3971539
Email. mitipru@gov.bw

Ministry contact details link: Link

Department for Co-operative Development
Gaborone Head office
Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry
Addresss: Annex Building Plot 54380, Central Business District, Gaborone
P O Box 86
Gaborone
Tel: 3994600/3102315
Fax: 3951657


Regional Co-operative Officer
Gaborone Regional Office
Private Bag 0083
Gaborone
Tel: 3121090
Fax: 3121060

Regional Co-operative Officer
Gantsi Regional Office
P O Box 152
Gantsi
Tel: 6596271
Fax: 6596177

• Citizens and Residents of Botswana who are 18 years and above are eligible to apply

• The application fee is P 20

• The registration certificate is valid for the time stated in it

Application form:Link

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

• The application for registration will be processed within 14 working days

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications.
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver,
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Please provide other instructions related to the certificate/documents.
e.g. The state office holds birth records since january 1908.

• Name and type of Society
• Proposed are of operation
• Name of members
• Id number of members
• Date of Birth of members
• Gender
• Address
• Signature

• A co-operative brings together a group of people with the same objective to archive their goals jointly and empower themselves as individuals

Enter other informations which might help.

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

GOV.BW: Link

More information which might help people.