23 Jan 2020

 Botswana has  bagged significant deals with some companies, organisations as well as institutions represented at the World Economic Forum (WEF).

 This was revealed by Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Ms Peggy Serame in an interview with Botswana media on January 22.

“There are a number areas where we have already agreed on partnering with some of the companies, organisations and institutions we had bilateral meetings with such as Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation, who have agreed to assist us in terms of trade facilitation,” she said.Describing Botswana’s participation at the form an exciting and successful mission, she said since the opening of the forum on Tuesday, great strides had been made in forging economic partnerships and attracting investment to Botswana.

The development, Ms Serame said, presented a lot of positives for Batswana especially economic prospects including jobs for the country with about 18 per cent unemployment rate.

“I also see Batswana who will get a lot of opportunities and be absorbed at global level by some of our prospective partners,” she said.

Minister Serame spoke highly of the Africa Growth Platform, a WEF initiative launched in last September with a view to generate 100 million Small Medium Enterprises and startups by 2025.

The platform will bring together governments, investors and entrepreneurs to enhance funding prospects and create enabling environments for business growth.

The first phase of the initiative has started in Rwanda and will be rolled out to the rest of Africa.

Ms Serame said the initiative would not be an entirely new phenomenon for Botswana as the country was already trying to develop an e-platform.

Platforms such as WEF resonate with President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi’s position that no one nation could go it alone if it harbored ambitions of developing itself and people. ENDS