15 Sep 2019

 International and local procurement professionals are expected to convene at the Procurement and Enterprise Development Pitso in Gaborone on September 17.

Barclays Bank of Botswana head of enterprise and supply chain development, Ms Kushatha Chilisa told the media on Thursday that the bank, which  had made strides in supporting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through initiatives such as the Enterprise and Development Programme, would sponsor the pitso. “We understand that SMEs are the backbone of our economy, therefore, we are always looking for ways to support and nurture their growth. The pitso aims to bridge the procurement gap in the market,” she said.

In her remarks, Entrez public relations officer, Ms Tshiamo Thapa, said the pitso was an inaugural conference strategically designed to bring together seasoned procurement professionals and experts together with SMEs to create an impactful platform for a mutually beneficial learning experience.

Ms Thapa said the aim of the pitso was to create dialogue around sustainable procurement, localisation, SME development, supplier development and other relevant topics unique to the procurement sector in Botswana.

She also said the event’s aim was to target entrepreneur, internal auditors, among others, adding it also offered great opportunity for parties to interact and share ideas. ENDS