03 Sep 2018

Companies Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA) Francistown branch manager, Mr Isaac Raphutshe says good office accommodation motivates and improves productivity amongst staff members.

Speaking at the launch of new CIPA offices in Tati River Mall recently, Mr Raphutshe explained that their previous office accommodation did not provide a conducive environment for staff and workers hence their relocation to a new office accommodation.

CIPA Francistown has been accommodated at the Department of Co-operatives Development until June this year, when it relocated to their new offices, which Mr Raphutshe said was a good development in terms of making sound business.

Meanwhile, CIPA board member Mr Gabriel Ngele also hailed the relocation, saying it would boost staff morale and improve productivity.

He said “CIPA’s vision and mandate is to be the leading business registration and intellectual property authority by contributing to the business profile of Botswana to be the number one destination in Africa by 2020.”

He explained that CIPA would continue to work with different stakeholders and key partners in order to reach its target.

Mr Ngele also said the official opening of the offices was a key milestone achievement for the CIPA board and its management, who at the inception of the authority undertook through their strategic plan to secure proper office accommodation to all its branches.

“The opening of these offices has, therefore, ushered in a new dawn of hope not only for improved accessibility and efficiency of service, but also for convenience, owing to the decentralisation of the registration of companies, business names and intellectual property services to other areas of Botswana, and that dovetails well with their customer value proposition, which promotes speedy business facilitation and simplified business processes thereby improving the ease of doing business in Botswana,” he added.

He noted that one of CIPA’s key strategic priorities included securing office accommodation for all of its branches across the country, adding that the process commenced with Serowe in 2016 and now Francistown in 2018.

Mr Ngele commended CIPA management and board to have delivered those projects within their first five –year strategy.

However, he said it was not an easy fea as they were playing a balancing act of keeping the authority operationally afloat, while at the same time trying to secure resources to improve the working conditions of staff as well as creating a customer friendly and service-orientated environment through the acquisition of office accommodation. ENDS