28 Mar 2017

The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry in partnership with Botswana Bureau of Standards (BOBS) and Botswana Unified Revenue Services held a workshop at Cresta Bosele Hotel to sensitise the Selebi Phikwe business community about EU-SADC Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).
Kgwebo Consultants managing director and Business Botswana Northern Region vice president, Mr Palalani Moithobogi said the workshop provided information to local businesses on international trade agreements and the possibilities available to enterprise should they wish to play on the international stage.
Mr Moithobogi said the workshop was a good initiative by the Department of Trade and Industry to help the business community understand general issues about international agreements between Botswana and its trading partners.
He said while collaboration between Business Botswana and the trade ministry had been good at ministry and council level, the same should be visible at the regional level.
The SADC Secretariat and chief technical advisor, Ms Boitumelo Sebonego said EPA would promote sustainable economic growth and support local integration and industrialisation and provide an opportunity for the private sector to access the EU market.
“There is a need for competiveness amongst SADC operators to enhance skills and technology transfer, capacity building and investment creation and innovation,” she said.
She noted that EPA had six member states which included Lesotho, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland while Angola was given an option to join the agreement in future and Mozambique yet to finalise the ratification process.
She however said the agreement was established to create a free trade area based on the rules of the trading environment taking into account the levels of economic development between parties. She also said the agreement covered the areas of cooperation to facilitate sustainable development.
Trade counsellor, European Union delegation to Botswana, Mr John Taylor said the EPA provided an opportunity for growth of local businesses.
He said through the EPA, businesses could set up outlets for production in the EU and the global market which would provide an opportunity for developing value chains that go beyond partners of the agreement. ENDS