30 May 2019

ICT has revolutionised the world and continues to do so by presenting extraordinary potentials in terms of economic and employment growth, social development and the expansion of the world and regional trade.

This was said by the director in the Department of Trade and Consumer Affairs Ms Seipati Olweny at the National E-commerce Strategy Vision workshop hosted in collaboration with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Gaborone on Tuesday.

She further said the mandate for the facilitation of e-commerce had since been delegated to the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry.

“The ministry is now taking a leading role in the development of the e-commerce strategy, which is funded through the EU/SADC Trade-related Facility programme,” she said.

She also said the e-commerce strategy would serve as a framework and a guiding tool in facilitating e-commerce across all sectors of the economy.

The project development of National E-commerce Strategy for Botswana is being carried out through technical assistance of the UNCTAD through their UNCTAD ICT Policy Review Programme, which provides technical assistance, policy advice, diagnostics, assessments and strategy development to requesting member states in the area of e-commerce and ICT national planning.

Presenting on the threats faced by Botswana concerning e-commerce, chief science, technology and ICT branch division on technology and logistics, Mr Angel Gonzalez-Sanz said Botswana business sector reliance on government contracts could mean limited growth of the private sector.

He said that the growth of the private sector was crucial for sustained growth.

Furthermore, Mr Gonzalez-Sanz said Botswana needed to create an environment where the young and the educated could thrive and develop.

“The country faces risks of losing young people due to immigration to countries with higher wage levels and greater opportunities for personal development.

The strategy needs to stimulate the provision of e-commerce services located in Botswana and enable Botswana companies to use e-commerce,” he stated.

However, Mr Gonzalez-Sanz said Botswana had a high literacy rate and a large population with at least secondary school education, the widespread use of English language and exposure to ICT devices.

According to him, the Botswana population is E-commerce- ready, noting that it was easier for Botswana citizens to plug into global networks. ENDS