Countries such as Morocco, Egypt and Cape Verde have all been pinpointed by various experts over the past 12 months or so as being destinations which offer a great deal of investment potential to overseas property seekers.

But this isn't to say that nations in southern Africa should be totally ignored when it comes to property potential. However, whereas it was once South Africa that dominated the southern part of the continent's property market, today is its neighbour Botswana which is starting to cause something of a stir.

Officially ranked by credit rating analysts at Moody's and Standard and Poor's as the lowest credit risk in Africa, Botswana has one of the most dynamic economies in Africa and was recently ranked by Transparency International as the least corrupt nation in Africa.

Tourism is currently on the increase in Botswana, and this in turn could have a positive affect on the country's property market. To support its continued economic development, emphasis has been placed on attracting tourists to the country. To aid with this, the government of Botswana has abolished foreign exchange controls, reduced corporate tax to an attractive rate of 15 per cent, removed restrictions on the foreign ownership of local companies and property, and adopted both a privatisation and competition master plan to bring foreign direct investment to Botswana.

Gaborone, the country's capital, is particularly popular with Botswana-bound overseas property investors, as strong growth in the city's mining sector has seen an increasing amount of foreigners arrive to work in the city. Not only has this started to drive up property prices after a slowdown, but it has also sent rental yields soaring - great news for property investors. Knight Frank estimates that upper-end residential rental yields in Gaborone are around 15 per cent a year at present.

However, one investment opportunity that is currently causing a stir in Botswana is the Limpopo-Lipadi Game and Wilderness Reserve - which is not a typical property ownership opportunity.

This development - which won a prestigious property award last year for 'Best Sustainable Development' - encourages investors to buy into the continued development and sustaining of the reserve, rather than buying an actual property there. Instead, your capital will be used for everything from further land purchase to the development of lodges, camps and two commercial tourism properties for the introduction of paying guests to the reserve.

Investors will be able to visit the lodge as often as they like and can choose to stay in any of the six lodges and camps, all of which are designed differently and based in different locations.

"An investor seeking a long-term and unique opportunity, as well as a project that they can be passionate about and hands on with, will be unlikely to find a more exciting and potentially profitable project than this," says Nigel Willis, the chairman of the project.

According to the reserve, a previous development in the same area as this project has exceeded 300 per cent capital growth in the past five years. Entry level investment into this reserve is currently 135,000 euros.

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For more information visit:
www.limpopo-lipadi.com

Article first published 20 May 2008