07 Mar 2017

About 250 youth companies will occupy office space at the new state of the art Botswana Innovation Park buildings.
Speaking in Parliament on Monday, Minister of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology, Dr Alfred Madigele said each company would occupy 10m2 and would also have access to and boardrooms.

He said selection of youth companies was based on scalability, social impact of the solution, marketability of the solution and the technical aspect.
Companies, he added, would be charged a minimal rental of P2 000 per month.

“Currently, a specialist contractor is addressing a structural defect that was discovered on a portion of the building,” he said.
The minister noted that there were 20 companies that were 100 per cent owned and 19 foreign owned companies that had shown interest and agreed to lease office space in the new Innovation Park buildings.

However, with regard to internet services, Dr Madigele said no company had been contracted to provide such services in the buildings.
Further, he noted that BIH had an outreach programme whereby it partnered with the BCL mine in support of innovative companies in and around Selebi Phikwe.
He said the mine paid for premises used by such companies and following liquidation of BCL, the partnership ended.

“Outreach programme assists with mentoring and coaching, business network opportunities, technical and business advisory services, and advice on intellectual property rights.
During the current financial year, Botswana Innovation Hub reached out to innovators based in Ghanzi, D’kar, Maun, Francistown, Thamaga, Oodi and Palapye, among others,” he said.

He noted that these were also assisted with mentoring and coaching, business network opportunities, technical and business advisory services, and advice on intellectual property rights.
Specially Elected MP, Mr Mephato Reatile, had asked the minister to state the number of youth companies that would occupy office space at the BIH buildings and the criteria used to select them and the minimum rental cost.

Mr Reatile also wanted to know the total number and names of all 100 per cent citizens and foreign owned companies that had already shown interest and agreed to lease office space at the new Innovation Park buildings.

He also requested the minister to state the name of the company that had been contracted to provide internet services for all tenants at the new Innovation Park buildings.
Further, he wanted to know the expected date of occupation of the office space and how innovative companies based outside Gaborone were currently being supported to grow their projects compared to those companies based in Gaborone. ENDS