16 May 2019

Property and infrastructure development are key drivers of economic growth, says Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing Development acting permanent secretary.

Officially opening Botswana Real Estate and Infrastructure forum in Gaborone on May 15, Mr Bareng Malatsi said infrastructure and housing development provided for short-term employment and long-term return on investment, which in turn created a sustainable path of economic growth, prosperity and job creation.

Mr Malatsi said he was optimistic that the forum would come up with new and better ways of creating employment opportunities and growing the economy.

Real estate, he said, was critical in wealth creation and facilitating dignified livelihoods.

He said the forum was timely since government was in the process of marshaling efforts to create new avenues of sustainable growth. “I believe that this forum will provide many benefits, the most essential being creation of more business partnerships to raise our investment profiles and to create solutions to challenges faced by this important industry and the people we serve.

We hope to bridge the gap between private and public sector in order to fast track current developments and open up the door to new opportunities for the growth of our economy,” he said.

Mr Malatsi noted that Botswana’s property market had come a long way hence a forum of such kind should bring expects from across Africa to compare notes and share experiences.

He said government had committed to relaxing requirements for change of land use, to enable land holders to respond to emerging challenges and opportunities with minimal hindrance.

Further, he said government had introduced various pieces of legislation to govern different professions.

This, he said provided assurance that those who engage professionals could do so with reasonable certainty that the services they acquire would be good hence government would continue to review the regulatory environment for the benefit of both customers and the professionals. ENDS