22 Oct 2020

While Botswana has a small domestic market, its strategic location at the centre of southern Africa can be utilised by investors to access markets in different parts of the region.

 Outgoing Nigerian high commissioner Mr Umar Salisu said this during a valedictory call on President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi yesterday.

“The central location of Botswana places the country with a good geography to access markets. Since I came, I tried as much as possible to see to it that some Nigerian investors such as Mr Aliko Dangote, who are into refineries and other businesses are aware of investment opportunities here,” Mr Salisu said.

Mr Salisu said Nigeria, Africa’s most populous state as well as the continent’s largest economy by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) volume, was interested in enhanced economic ties with Botswana.

The Nigerian envoy urged President Masisi to visit Nigeria for meetings with President Muhammadu Buhari as well as leading Nigerian business people in order to actively build trade links between Botswana and the west African state.

Mr Salisu also lauded President Masisi for the manner in which Botswana had handled the COVID-19 pandemic noting that the country had one of Africa’s lowest infection and death rates.

President Masisi, who confirmed having already had a conversation with Mr Dangote on investment, said in due course, he would undertake a visit to Nigeria to strengthen relations and explore opportunities for boosting trade links.

Noting that Nigeria was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with Botswana and that “morally and in material terms” the country supported the decolonisation of Africa and Botswana’s development, President Masisi said the two countries had strong relations built over time.

He expressed empathy with Nigeria for the recent challenges the country faced saying they should be addressed in the best interest of the Nigerian people. 

President Masisi said Nigerian intellectual creative capacity could assist the continent to deal with challenges such as COVID-19. Ends