13 Jul 2020

Recently social media, especially Facebook, has been abuzz with locals rallying behind homegrown products and services. 

The locals are calling for self-reliance and buying within the borders of the country and doing more with locally produced products to grow the economy.  

This comes in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is also tipping the demand scales in favour of locally produced products. They have also become a necessity for consumers who are trying to deal with what may be available in the market.

This zeal and urge to support and encourage local products and services is also premised on the #PushaBw initiative, the buy Botswana campaign intended to encourage the uptake of locally produced goods and services. 

Among those at the forefront of the social media endorsement of local products is sales and marketing guru, Mr Bobo Samuels who shares through his Facebook page enterprising individuals who have ventured into sectors such as events planning, eatery, hair and beauty, agricultural produce, retail, consultancy, education and the creatives. 

Mr Samuels offers such businesses exposure and encourages other Batswana to show support by buying and sharing business content in their social media platforms. 

He said behind most of the businesses were young individuals who wished to make positive contributions in their country. 

He urged not only the public sector, but corporate entities to engage these small businesses rather than source locally available services and products abroad.

He said small businesses were also growing the economy on the basis of where they sourced their supplies to produce or render a service. He, therefore, encouraged small businesses to reinvest profits made in order to grow and cater to higher demands.

 “Entrepreneurs should also invest in training to upskill themselves,” emphasised Mr Samuels, adding that it would enable them to efficiently manage the operations of the businesses. 

Appreciating how some Batswana were now taking advantage of the #PushaBw campaign, the director of corporate affairs at Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC), Ms Kutlo Moagi said by buying local products, both businesses and consumers were making a significant contribution that empowered the nation thereby creating demand for locally produced products and services. 

She said the #PushaBw campaign existed to encourage Batswana to appreciate their local products and support them. 

“The main objective of this initiative is to expose locally manufactured products as well as to encourage Batswana to support and buy local products,” she said.

She explained that the campaign also helped to create job opportunities and boost pride in local products by promoting Botswana companies and their homegrown products and services. She also said it would grow local industries, create employment, contribute towards poverty eradication and boost the economy of the economy. 

Ms Moagi noted that when the campaign started the focus was on exposing local products and services as well as the benefits that came with supporting local, adding that the message was now catching on with the rest of the population. 

On the other hand, Brand Botswana has also embarked on a marketing strategy to profile and expose local products on various platforms and getting them on retail store shelves. 

Ms Moagi expressed gratitude at the achievement of the campaign, saying through their various interventions, more products were getting a space on store shelves.

With the increased use of e-commerce platforms, she said they had deliberate plans in motion to get local products on online platforms for people around the world to access and buy. 

However, she said more needed to be done in terms of engaging local producers who used the pride mark to capacitate them on branding and marketing of the products and services. 

Ms Moagi said they looked into aspects such as quality control, packaging and selling of products and worked with relevant organisations like NAFTRC and BOBS to ensure products were of acceptable quality. 

Similarly, with training and skills development, she said they engaged LEA where small and medium enterprises were able to access business development services and other support services to grow the SMMEs. 

As part of their mandate to promote, develop and seek markets for local produce, Ms Moagi said at BITC they continuously developed local manufacturers and producers to a level of competence in other exports market. She said they also showcased local produce and services at international exhibitions and displaying them at Botswana missions abroad. Ends