26 Oct 2017

The numbers of clients seeking assistance from the Local Enterprise Authority (LEA) is not satisfactory.

Assistant minister of Investment Trade and Industry, Mr Biggie Butale said when luring Mmankgodi residents to take advantage of the services recently.

He said the authority could help them to refine their business ideas into solid businesses as well as assist them with business proposals to financiers.

Mr Butale said the authority also empowered its clients on how to run their businesses using modern strategies and technologies.

Therefore, he made an appeal to the local residents to take advantage of the free services offered by LEA.

He further said businesses started with conception of ideas, hence the residents should come forth with their ideas, adding that many have business ideas which they however failed to execute.

He stated that LEA was one of government initiatives to spur Batswana to get into business and be active in the country’s economy.

Mr Butale further regretted that the Economic Diversification Drive (EDD) has not benefitted the country due to failure by the procuring entities to adhere to it.

Therefore, he pleaded with business community to be on the lookout for any tenders which disregarded EDD provisions, adding that such tenders would be rescinded.

He described as disappointing some of the reasons advanced by some procuring entities as some claimed not to be aware of EDD while others said they were not aware that some goods and services were available in the country.

If properly applied, he said EDD would address unemployment in the country as local companies would while foreign companies would be eager to invest in the country knowing that there was support for locally produced goods.

Village Development Committee chairperson, Ms Shadi Ralenyena said there was need to have more business plots in their village.

Further, she said the village was not benefitting from the businesses which harvest sand in its vicinity and the tribe was in the dark on how the permits were sought.

Ms Ralenyena said the tribe feared that they could lose the youth farm which was run in conjunction with government.

During comments, the residents complained that LEA forms were written in English which left those who were not conversant with the language behind.

Others stated that there was no one to account for the inventory of the collapsed village cooperative society. ENDS