18 Jul 2023

Many speakers and attendants of the just ended US-Africa Business Summit have  hailed it as a success.

The summit held from July 11-14 at the Royal Aria, Tlokweng saw a total attendance of around 1 300 delegates from 14 African nations and the USA. Speaking in an interview, Botswana Ambassador to the United States of America, Mr Kitso Mokaila said the event was something that the country should derive pleasure from.

“As Batswana we did not put our country to shame, and I will foremost like to thank all Batswana who came on board and showed the world who we are, including our Botho and hospitality which we are known for,” he said. Mr Mokaila also commended the Ministry of Trade and Industry for a job well done, noting that the summit exceeded expectations.

“We are in a position to say that this was the best advert for Botswana as many of the delegates were first comers here, so it opened their eyes to what we can offer. Many of them were so happy that they even accused us of not selling the country enough,” he said.

He said as an ambassador, he would be happy to bring more events of such nature and magnitude to Botswana. He said what should give the country even more pleasure was the fact that government deliberately engaged locals to provide most of the services, such as sound and catering.

“This is something that we will enjoy even in the long term because the entire economy benefited. The summit was an economic stimulator,” he said.

He however, said whatever inadequacies that might have arose would be a learning curve as the event was one of the biggest the country had ever hosted, and that Botswana was confident to build on connections made.

Business Botswana chief executive officer, Mr Norman Moleele said the summit achieved what it set out to do, and that Business Botswana was happy with the interactions and the attendance by local entrepreneurs.

“We believe that the connections they have made will take them far. What they need to do now is take forward the engagements that they had,” he said.

Mr Moleele however, cautioned against expectation of quick results, especially by entrepreneurs who were attending the summit for the first time. Speaking during the closing ceremony, Axxess Founder and CEO, Mr John Olajide thanked Botswana for its hospitality, saying the country was capable and deserved to host many international meets. The next US-Africa Business Summit will be held in the US next year. Ends