This paper looks at the Botswana Technical Centre (BTC), which was set up in 1975, in response to the need for a co-ordinating body for the collection and dissemination of information, and has been one of the few such ventures to be successful. The paper gives a brief account of the Botswana economy and of the numerous policies, programmes and agencies which relate to technology development and application. Some examples of their work is described and conclusions attempt to assess what can be learned from the BTC experience.