31 Aug 2023

 Nearly P587 000 worth of sales were recorded in the #PushaBW marketplace during the four days of the 15th edition of the US-Africa Business Summit in July. 

Briefing the media on the summit's success in Gaborone on Wednesday, the Assistant Minister of Trade and Industry Ms Beauty Manake said that contacts from 17 companies from various sectors were generated, four of which were already on a fact-finding mission to pursue opportunities presented during the summit. 

She said the summit, which attracted 1331 delegates, also demonstrated there were opportunities that could be generated through SMMEs and conferencing. So successful was the summit that a month after the meeting, some of the SMMEs were still working on the many orders placed by the international participants.

“Our SMMEs continue to work on orders placed during the summit to the international market. 

We believe that our local businesses would continue to tap into the market to access opportunities,” she said. Some notable orders included two wooden sculptures worth P70 000 carrying the themes of the Botswana experience specific to the client’s request, she said.

Moreover, she added, closed and open baskets of different sizes were procured at P20 000 whereas traditional pottery of different sizes was bought for P10 500. 

Ms Manake said other people were interested in collaborating with a local guitarist and segaba artiste and the interest was being followed up. 

She said government would continue to facilitate and encourage SMMEs to improve their products and services, including adopting and availing electronic paying methods to cater for the international market.

She commended the creative sector for its outstanding display of Botswana’s rich culture through music, food and dance. The sector also did a great job telling the diamond story, she said. Ms Manake said a budget of P19 million was required for the event. 

Government availed P8.2 million while the rest was sourced from the private sector and corporates across the country, she said. Notably, all the money was spent in Botswana to source goods and services from citizen-owned and locally-based businesses. 

Meanwhile, Founder and Managing Director of Destiny Creek (Pty) Ltd Ms Boitumelo Ntsosa said participation at the summit helped her to understand the dynamics of remaining compliant to trading beyond borders, adding she was being exposed to trade agreements through the BITC Export Readiness Programme.

Ms Ntsosa urged fellow businesspeople to intentionally plan their businesses, starting small then growing bigger. She added that collaboration between government and the private sector remained key to the success of any entity. 

Fellow businessman and founder of Earth Vitamins Mr Thabo Molefe appreciated the volume of sales his company made throughout the entire summit. 

Mr Molefe said he made about P12 000 worth of meat sales in a single day, adding the summit demonstrated that Botswana needed to pay more attention to the agricultural sector with a view to maximising output.

There was no doubt, he said, that international participants loved the taste of Botswana beef, which in itself presented an opportunity for Botswana to explore exporting it to other countries beyond current customers. ENDS