02 Apr 2019

Mayor of Francistown, Ms Sylvia Muzila, has appealed to Batswana entrepreneurs not to overprice their products.

Speaking at a Botswana Small Medium Micros Enterprises (SMMEs) award dinner organised by Local Enterprises Authority (LEA) in Francistown, Ms Muzila said business owners had a tendency of producing less products with a high price tag.

Charging exorbitant prices, she said, would not benefit them given the quality of products they were producing for both local and international markets.

Ms Muzila further said the city’s economy would not grow when the business community continued to charge high prices.

In his welcome remarks, LEA chief executive officer, Dr Racious Moatshe, explained that the decentralisation of LEA Pitso and fair was important because the enterprise was taking its services closer to the people as well promoting engagement with its various stakeholders.

Dr Moatshe explained that LEA realised that it was also important to support the local economy because it played a role in sustaining  the country’s economy.  He said by so doing, Botswana would not export jobs by buying products from outside but to buy local products and create jobs for the locals.

He explained that it had been proved that SMMEs in other countries have created jobs for its people and the same could still happen in Botswana where government was committed to provide grants for entrepreneurs to start their businesses.

According to the World Bank’s projection, over the next 15 years, SMEs would create four out of five jobs in developing countries.   Dr Racious further stated that starting a business was not easy because it required determination, patience and perseverance. ENDS.