Botswana: The Business Community converged in Francistown yesterday for networking and relations strengthening purposes. The Annual Gala dinner held under the theme “African Continental Free Trade Area(AfCFTA); Key to Economic Growth” gathered giants of the industry from different business sectors.
Speaking at the event, His Honour Mr Slumber Tsogwane the Vice President of the Republic of Botswana highlighted that the private sector is the engine of economic growth. He said the Government exist to offer support, make policies and create a conducive environment for the private sector to operate seamlessly.
The Vice President encouraged the business community to introspect, identify gaps and pick the country’s economy to greater heights. He said that President’s wish is to improve Batswana’s lives, therefore the business community should explore all available opportunities from tourism, value chain development and others. He said the government restricted importation of some good to boost businesses in Botswana.
For his part, the President of the Business Botswana Mr Neo Nwako said the Government remains an important stakeholder and as Business Botswana, they are aligned to His Excellency’s roadmap as they pursue the development needs of the country.
He further said even though Botswana has a small population, Africa provides a market population of 1.3million which is an opportunity for the private sector to grow and export their products and services.
Business Botswana exists to advocate for an environment that makes it easy for businesses to start and operate. The organisation represents over 2500 businesses across all sectors of the economy.