28 Aug 2022

Support for local female-led businesses and innovators remains critical in building export-ready ventures in the Biosciences space. This is according to the Botswana Digital and Innovation Hub (BDIH), Programmes Manager, Mr Obakeng Segwagwe.

Mr Segwagwe said this during a Female in Bioscience Businesses (FemBioBiz) Acceleration Programme pitch session recently.

He said the programme, which is a partnership between BDIH and Southern Africa Network for Biosciences (SANBio), targets women-led businesses and innovators (including students with ideas) in the agri-food, health, biowaste, natural beauty products and nutrition. 

Mr Segwagwe said the programme part of their support efforts included a three-minute business elevator or speed pitches to stand a chance to win cash prices and get international exposure.

He said the pitch session marked the fourth cycle of the event and targeted women's businesses in natural beauty products and nutrition.

Eight businesses Skin Glow, Phatsima Innovations, Naturomedic, Keonee Soaps, and Calla. Lily, Glow in a Jar, Lu & B, and Aqua Herba Solutions participated in the event.

The first prize of P25 000 went to Phatsima Innovations, while Skin Glow scooped second prize of P15 000 and Naturomedic got third prize of P5 000. 

He said the funds released on the day were just a token of appreciation for winners to restock and make means to scale up.

Mr Segwagwe said Botswana was endowed with a lot of natural products that remained largely untapped, adding that using them could help the nation to come up with export-ready businesses.

He drew lessons from the Hoodia plant, which he said had been patented by the Japanese though originating from Botswana thus pharmaceutical giants were taking economic advantage of the plant, instead of the locals.

Mr Segwagwe said as such, one of the partnership’s interventions would be to help innovators protect their concepts.

He said the sponsorship from SANBio would also enable them to train businesses in the aspects of e-commerce, social media strategy, business presentations and pitching to investors, to mention but a few.

Mr Segwagwe said the next stage would be to meet with strategic partners and assist the innovators in establishing quality standards for their produce.

He said cosmetics were sensitive in nature, hence the need to test them and ensure that they acquire dossiers and proper packaging and labelling to successfully make it to pharmaceutical shelves. ends