19 May 2016

The head of public relations at Business Botswana, Ms Sheillah Moribame, has applauded the new version of the economic partnership agreement (EPA) between SADC and the European Union (EU) .

Ms Moribame, who was speaking on behalf of the director of international trade in the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, during EU-SADC EPA workshop in Maun recently, said the comprehensive EPA also supported regional integration that extended beyond the SADC-EPA group to cover the wider SADC tripartite agenda.

She said the agreement would embrace objectives of the SADC regional indicative strategic development plan and specifically the industrial pillar where member states envisage transformation of the region through value chains and value addition.

She said despite Botswana’s minimal benefit in the EU market, which was mostly in the beef sector, there is still hope for the country’s manufacturers.

“All we need to do as a country is to reconsider our steps and move more strategically towards the diversification of our export products to the EU market,” she said. She urged industries to use the EU market. 

She noted that increased export to the EU market would enhance Botswana’s economic growth through employment creation and industrial development. Ms Moribame said it would further contribute to regional integration objectives as SADC was now focused on the industrialisation of the region.

For his part, Mr John Taylor from European Delegation to Botswana, said the EPA offer unprecedented opportunities. Going beyond the ambition of the trade agreements, he said, the EPA guarantees duty- free and quota-free status to the EU market for food from Botswana and other African countries.

He said the government of Botswana has repeatedly underlined the need to move away from over-dependence on diamonds and other raw materials extracted from the ground.

Mr Taylor said in order to build sustainable and successful industries in this country, entrepreneurs would have to look for markets beyond borders such as EU, a single market covering 28 countries with no internal customs borders and allowing free movement of goods, persons, services and capital.

He said EU is the world’s most lucrative market with over 500 million consumers and representing more than a quarter of the world’s GDP. Mr Taylor said the value of imported goods from SADC EPA group into the EU, which consisted mostly of industrial products, including commodities amounted to 32.5 million Euros in 2014.  

EU exports to the region represented a similar value of 31.8 billion Eros, he said. ENDS