11 Feb 2024

Local traders considering to export to Zimbabwe under the Bi-lateral Trade Agreement have been implored to visit Botswana Unified Revenue Services (BURS) to learn more about the requirements.

The agreement allows for goods and services traded between the two countries to be exempted from customs duties, provided they meet the minimum requirement of 25 per cent local content.

Minister of minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Mmusi Kgafela made the call during the official opening of the Botswana-Zimbabwe business forum organised by Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC) in collaboration with Zimbabwe Trade as part of nurturing and strengthening trade and business relations between the two countries.

The call was also extended to Zimbabwean companies looking to  export to Botswana. He informed the gathering about the recently ratified Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), which aimed to promote industrialisation and diversify economies by encouraging the development of regional value chains and the manufacturing sector.

Mr Kgafela appreciated that the instrument was only coming into effect now, adding that the two countries had for many years nourished their relationship and ensured seamless trade.

The AFCFTA, he said would further eliminate barriers to trade in Africa, thereby significantly boosting intra-Africa trade, particularly trade in value-added production and trade across all sectors of Africa’s economy.

“This diversification can lead to increased productivity, job creation, and higher value-added exports among African countries,” he added.

Since signing a memorandum of understanding in 2018, he said,  BITC and ZimTrade seized the opportunity by actively supporting and collaborating during the annual Global Expo Botswana (GEB) held in Gaborone and the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) that takes place in Bulawayo.

In 2023, the gathering learnt that BITC led a delegation of 20 companies who exhibited their products and services at ZITF and that ZimTrade had equally participated at the annual Global Expo with a delegation of 26 companies.

Mr Kgafela urged participants at the forum to strive for greater value out of such sessions and create sustainable opportunities for all .

He also encouraged them to interact, exchange and share ideas openly, identify any bottlenecks that were an impediment to trade and highlight them to both BITC and ZimTrade, to ensure that they were taken through the right channels to ease doing business in both countries.

Zimbabwean minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Mr Frederick Shava appreciated BITC and ZimTrade for successfully mobilising businesses from the two  countries.

The forum, he said, provided a unique platform for promoting dialogue and to support the long-term growth of strategic trade and economic relations between Zimbabwe and Botswana.

“Today’s event is testament of the continued commitment and dedication of our leaders to deepen and further strengthen bilateral relations between our great nations.  Our bilateral cooperation cuts across numerous areas and creates a strong foundation for us to excel as we pursue the broader agenda of liberalising Africa’s trade,” he added.

The government of Zimbabwe, Mr Shava said, was aspiring to achieve upper-middle income status by 2030 and had undertaken several policy measures to enhance trade between the country and the rest of the world, particularly with neighbours.

The government, he said continued to urge business leaders to take advantage of the bilateral trade agreement signed between Botswana and Zimbabwe to enjoy reduced and zero duty access as they trade with each other.

He appreciated that the two governments were also in continuous engagements on opening up borders in line with the Africa Union Protocol on Free Movement of Persons. ENDS