Botswana’s Delta Automotive Technologies is driving a manufacturing revolution, transforming the small town of Lobatse into a key industrial hub with financial backing from the African Development Bank.
The company’s expansion, fuelled by an $80 million credit line to the Botswana Development Corporation (BDC), is positioning Botswana as a competitive player in the global automotive supply chain.
Delta Automotive specialises in producing wiring harnesses – crucial components that enable the transmission of electrical signals in vehicles – for Volkswagen and Nissan models across Africa.
Currently manufacturing 120 harness sets daily for Volkswagen South Africa, the company aims to nearly triple output by 2027, increasing production to 340 sets for Volkswagen and 111 for Nissan.
“This funding hasn’t just built infrastructure – it has created opportunity,” said Darryn Hattingh, Delta’s Director of Manufacturing.
He said the support has enable the company to compete globally while fostering local industrial growth and supporting future expansion.
“The support enables us to industrialise not just today’s production lines, but tomorrow’s innovations. It will support us to industrialise future businesses obtained through Volkswagen.”
Beyond economic transformation, Delta Automotive is challenging gender norms in the traditionally male-dominated industry.
Women now make up 75 percent of its workforce, with roles spanning manufacturing and engineering.
“”Every component we make is a challenge to outdated assumptions about gender and engineering work,” said Clara Kaekane, a product and process engineer at Delta.
She noted that she was not just building car parts but “helping redefine what women can achieve in African manufacturing.”
Botswana’s integration into global supply chains aligns with the AfDB’s “High 5” priorities to industrialise and integrate Africa.
“Each wire harness connects not just vehicle components, but Botswana’s workforce to global value chains, rural communities to industrial opportunities and traditional
economies to a diversified future,”
Employment at Delta is projected to grow from 327 workers to 1,000 within four years, making it a major driver of local economic empowerment.
JN/APA