02 Jun 2026

Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship, Mr Tiroeaone Ntsima has called for an accelerated move toward value chain addition and industrialisation.

Speaking at the 30th edition of the Business Botswana Northern Trade Fair in Francistown on Thursday, Mr Ntsima said the ministry was at the forefront of repositioning Botswana’s economy toward higher productivity, diversification, innovation-led industrialisation and sustainable entrepreneurship.

“A value chain is only as strong as its weakest point,” he said, citing that the ministry was prioritising cluster-based industrial growth, SMME upgrading, export readiness and regulatory reform.

He said this year’s theme: Value Chain Revolution, From Local Resources to Global Markets, directly supported the country’s transformation agenda to move beyond exporting raw materials and to build capacity to process, innovate, manufacture and compete globally.

Mr Ntsima placed the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme at the centre of that shift, describing it as an execution platform to reduce bottlenecks, improve ease of doing business and build competitive value chains.

Mr Ntsima further pointed out that Francistown was well positioned as Botswana’s northern commercial gateway and a potential logistics, manufacturing and cross-border trade hub for Southern Africa.

In addition, Business Botswana Northern Trade Fair (BBNTF) has been described as more than an annual event but a strategic economic institution that continues to connect businesses, foster innovation, facilitate market access as well as create opportunities for collaboration across sectors and borders.

Business Botswana president, Mr Neo Nwako said the fair had evolved into a key platform for enterprise development, investment and regional trade.

He said for 30 years, the BBNTF had remained more than an exhibition platform as it had evolved into an important meeting point for enterprise, development, investment of conversations, market access as well as regional trade.

He said the fair had grown significantly in both scale and impact, noting that in recent years, exhibitor participation increased from over 145 in 2024 to more than 170 exhibitors in 2025, whereas the 2025 edition also recorded the highest visitor traffic in its history, attracting more than 500 visitors daily.

“This reinforced the BBNTF position as a major commercial and networking hub for northern region. 

Beyond the exhibition itself, the fair continues to stimulate economic activity for Francistown and surrounding areas through increased demand in hospitality, transport and others,” Mr Nwako said.

He also said the Francistown region, possessed enormous untapped economic potential and remained strategically positioned to become a major commercial, logistics, manufacturing and investment hub within the region. ENDS