The Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC) officially opened the 14th Global EXPO Botswana, an annual premier Business exhibition under the theme ‘Harnessing the Power of Emerging Markets for Economic Growth,” with officials stressing desire to industrialize Botswana’s economy and leapfrog into the fourth industrial revolution, which will require new markets for new products and sourcing of intermediate inputs and raw materials.
“I wish to emphasis that the Global EXPO Botswana is a major trade and investment platform offering exhibitors an opportunity to do business in one of Africa’s stable and fastest growing economies as well as he Southern African region. Botswana has been growing on average at 4.2% for the past three years whilst Southern African region growth rate averages 2.5%,” said Bogolo Joy Kenewendo, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry.
She said, “The aim of this exhibition is to offer exhibitors and visitors an opportunity to actively promote their business and to stimulate intra-regional and international business exchange to contribute meaningfully to economic growth.”
The EXPO attracted exhibitors from countries such as India, Indonesia, Ethiopia, South Korea, Nigeria, Japan, Turkey, Egypt, Senegal, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, South Africa, Namibia and Eswathi.
It represents an opportunity for all exhibitors, visitors and delegates to engage in meaningful Business-to-Business meetings as facilitated by BITC’s Business Matchmaking Programme, which is a platform dedicated to facilitating Business to Business interactions.
The Global EXPO Botswana (GEB) also used the event to launch the GEB Hackathon, a creative problem solving platform which is sprint like event in which young local computer programmers and software developers collaborate to solve real life problems.
Botswana aspires to move from the Upper Middle Income Economy trap to a high Income Economy by 2036, requiring Botswana’s per capita income to jump from US$ 7, 595 to US$ 12, 000. Government is therefore working hard to improve the business environment, to remove existing bottlenecks.
It has also introduced VISA’s on arrival at 13 ports of entry and hopes to introduce E-Visa’s in the near future to facilitate ease of entry for investors.
Some of the foreign exhibitors at the Global EXPO expressed hope that they would be successful finding business partners and building stronger networks around their areas of competitive advantage.
“We are looking at finding investors in Botswana and participating countries in areas of training for diamond cutting and polishing. There is a search for SMME’s to enter beneficiation space and jewellery making. We are also looking for opportunities to supply regional markets with polished diamonds,” said Shereen Herholott, Project Administrator for Northern Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism.
She said, “We are also marketing the Northern Cape as a tourism destination for business meetings, conferences, exhibitions and events.”
