22 May 2014

Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Dorcas Makgato – Malesu says it is high time African countries, including Botswana focus on enhancing regional integration through exploring areas of interaction as well as the search for regional market.

Speaking during a meeting with the visiting Ugandan delegation in Gaborone on Tuesday, May 20, Ms Makgato-Malesu said African countries should attach the same value that they attach to European market to the African market for their goods and services.

Ms Makgato – Malesu said though the two countries are in different continental blocks, it was very important for them to enhance their cooperation level especially on issues of economic market access.

She said Botswana is currently looking for a significant beef market in the region, as it was experiencing problems with exporting beef to the European market.

The minister noted that Uganda should help by providing strategic partnerships and market access for their beef, adding that the private sector could also assist in areas of agro processing, manufacturing and mining.

The delegation, which was on a three-day fact finding mission heard that the country was working on its infrastructure development, focusing mainly on improving movements of goods across continents.

“We are looking at opening other corridors across the continent to see if goods can be moved through the north gates of the country in order to reduce dependency on the south gates,” she said.

For his part, Ugandan Minister of State Presidency and Economic Monitoring, Mr Henry Banyenzaki said Botswana and Uganda has a lot in common and they could work together to enhance the existing cooperation.

Mr Banyenzaki said both countries have a booming Agro – processing businesses, as they boast of a large cattle population, and the two countries could possibly exchange ideas on the control of Foot and Mouth Disease.

He said Uganda was looking forward to learning more from Botswana especially on infrastructure development of the sustenance of the cattle industry such as the development of the Vaccine institute.

He said it was high time African countries break the market access barriers that they faced and share trade opportunities.

The Uganda delegation visited institutions such as the Botswana Institute of Development and Policy Analysis (BIDPA), Botswana National Productivity Centre (BNPC), Directorate of Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC), Directorate of Public Sservice Management (DPSM)as well as Botswana Public Service College.  ENDS