29 Oct 2015

Grant Thornton Botswana in collaboration with Business Botswana has introduced a prestigious award that recognises privately owned businesses in Botswana.

The Private Business Growth Award (PBGA) is for businesses that demonstrate holistic growth and encompass a broad range of activities across their business such as innovation, market development, people and culture, strategic leadership and improvements in financial measures.

The prestigious business award recognises businesses that approach growth from both a strategic and holistic perspective to create a positive impact beyond their bottom line as well as contributing to a strong and vigorous national economy.

In this case, Sprint Couriers were announced the winners of the inaugural 2015 Private Business Growth Award.

Speaking at the event, former vice president, Dr Ponatshego Kedikilwe said the success of the private sector should translate into Botswana’s success. He added that such awards were an important element of doing business in the community.

He said it was appropriate that Grant Thornton in its 35^th anniversary further illustrated its commitment to growth by launching the award through a gala dinner.

Dr Kedikilwe also said economic growth was of limited value unless it addressed economic diversification, poverty eradication, employment creation, income inequality and the procurement of locally produced goods and services.

He noted that growth generated through PBGA would send a message, by word of mouth, of a good business environment.

“This will be a good message to potential investors, domestic or foreign. 

Foreign direct investment has been eluding Botswana in that good governance and an ambient business environment have not attracted a commensurate level of investment,” said Dr Kedikilwe.

He said the launch of the award was consistent with the government’s policy of promoting the private sector as an engine of growth, adding that successive government policies and strategies such as NDPs and the Botswana Excellence Strategy had demonstrated government’s belief in the private sector as an engine of growth.

On the other hand, Grant Thornton’s managing partner, Mr Jay Ramesh said they started to research the various aspects and criteria that needed to be taken into account for evaluating the companies for the award this year.

He said the selection criterion was capsuled into categories of innovation, market development, people and culture, strategic leadership and financial performance. Ends