Botswana Geoscience Institute (BGI) was established through Botswana Geoscience Institute Act No. 29 of 2014, following the closure of the Department of Geological Survey to improve efficiencies in carrying geoscience research, in line with the best practices expected of a geological survey organization (GSO). The decision was also based on the Government of Botswana’s aspiration to achieve its primary imperative of successfully implementing programmes and projects within time and costs that transform the lives of Botswana’s citizens for the better.

The establishment of Botswana Geoscience Institute therefore can be defined as the renaissance of geological survey practice in Botswana, which began in 1943, during the Bechuanaland Protectorate era primarily as the search for groundwater.