28 Oct 2026

The Assistant Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship, Mr Baratiwa Mathoothe has called for stronger collaboration to build a sustainable ecosystem for small businesses and drive economic diversification beyond Botswana’s major urban centres.

Mr Mathoothe was speaking on Friday at the Centric Expo 2026, an event which, brought together stakeholders to foster economic growth in Palapye and the wider central region.

He commended the expo organisers for recognising Palapye as a strategic hub for enterprise development and investment, emphasising that the central region must transition from a mere consumer of goods into a vibrant center of production, innovation and job creation.

Furthermore, he said economic development cannot be achieved by government alone or driven solely by a handful of large corporations, but rather required the collective participation of businesses of all sizes, innovative individuals, financial institutions, communities and development partners working together towards a common goal.

Acknowledging the persistent challenges faced by Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs), he stressed the need to move beyond simply encouraging people to start businesses. 

Instead, he urged stakeholders to build a supportive ecosystem that helped these businesses survive and scale-up.

Mr Mathoothe noted that impactful innovation can be as simple as local production upgrades or the adoption of digital payments.  He also called for stronger industry-academic ties to prepare graduates to be economic creators rather than mere job seekers.

Defining “shared prosperity” as creating an economy where opportunities are accessible to a wider section of society, he highlighted the need to support women-owned enterprises, youth-led businesses, and emerging entrepreneurs

Mr Mathoothe challenged established corporations to actively integrate these groups into their procurement and supplier development pipelines. 

He also urged financial institutions to pair funding with robust advisory services to guide businesses through their various stages of growth.

Mr Mathoothe praised the event’s commitment to social causes.

“Businesses operate within communities, employ people from those communities, and benefit from the environment around them,” he said.

He urged exhibitors and visitors to look past the casual exchange of business cards and focus on establishing long-term, concrete business partnerships that will secure Palapye’s economic future.

For her part, organising committee representative Ms Naledi Gaolaolwe said the expo does not seek to compete with established commercial hubs like Gaborone, but rather to complement them and expand the country’s broader economic footprint. Ms Gaolaolwe said the Centric Expo is anchored on three actionable pillars: Connect, Collaborate and Create. 

She urged investors, captains of the industry and visitors to engage deeply and invest in the local talent on display.

“Success will be measured by what happens after tomorrow-by whether the connections made over these two days translate into tangible corporate contracts, sustainable supply chains, and actual jobs in the weeks and months to come,” she said. ENDS