Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / Petroleum fuels energy supply and its availability is an essential precondition for socio-economic development in any economy. Energy is required in meeting the basic human needs such as food, shelter, health, education and for economic activities such as transport, agriculture and mining. Botswana’s energy consumption is dominated by petroleum fuels. The country has no known petroleum reserves and it has to import all its petroleum requirements in refined form, from the neighbouring South Africa. The study focuses on the challenges of security of supply of petroleum products in Botswana. What is at stake is to identify alternative supply sources and routes of petroleum products to Botswana, thus reducing the risk of wholly dependence on South Africa for the supply. A major goal is to develop alternative sources and routes from neighbouring countries. This can be achieved by the Botswana Government taking advantage of regional cooperation with neighbouring countries. The study explores other approaches to reduce the high dependence on South Africa. One of the possible solutions is for Botswana Government to establish a state owned oil company which could play a catalytic role in the implementation of many of the steps considered in this study. This company could, for example, be charged with crude oil exploration in Botswana and with steps to assist locally owned Botswana companies to establish themselves in the marketing and distribution of petroleum. Much will, however, depend on the resources that can be mobilised by the Botswana Government for such a State Oil Company. The study is based on secondary data obtained mainly from the Division of Energy in the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources. Feasibility studies conducted by consultants engaged by the Ministry played an important role in the literature underlying this report.