United States of America National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC), one of the most prominent business organisations in USA, will be in Botswana for an exploratory trade and investment inward mission.
NBCC will be facilitating the USA private sector to explore the business opportunities in Botswana and offer local potential exporters an opportunity to fetch business linkages with businesses in America.
The delegation will be hosted by the Botswana Export Development and Investment Authority (BEDIA), which shall introduce them to domestic business market for potential investment prospects.
“This is a great opportunity for Botswana business persons to meet multiple sector business owners from USA to network, and develop joint ventures,” Kungo Lentswe, BEDIA Acting Director Export Enterprise Development, told the Sunday Standard. “We are optimistic that the networking that will take place will usher in foreign direct investment as well as promote the country’s economic diversification drive.”
The businesses represented on the delegation include companies with interests in Agriculture, Agribusiness, Real Estate development, Tourism, Logistics (rail and road transport), Electric power generation & transmission, Power plant construction, Water supply, Mining, Infrastructural development, City planning, Engineering design and Manufacturing.
“USA is a developed country that we can benchmark from and be able to develop our sectors and improve our businesses,” Lentswe said, adding that it is a chance for Botswana to learn how other developed countries are operating and how they have made it in developing their economies.
Lentswe said the visit will offer potential exporters to fetch business in America, adding that the country’s exports have been growing, showing that the country is slowly moving away from over dependence on diamond exports and slowly achieving its economic diversification ambitions.
The 2011 second quota export target value was set at 77.5 million and the exports exceeded the set target, achieving 123 million worth of exports. “This is an impressive growth as Botswana is managing to penetrate into foreign markets,” she said.
Lentswe emphasized that “the business community has to fully utilize this opening as NBCC has come to trail blaze the many opportunities that exist in our nation.” The National Black Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to economically empowering and sustaining African American communities through entrepreneurship and capitalistic activity within the United States and via interaction with the Black Diaspora.
The delegation is arriving tomorrow (Monday 17) and the seminar will be held on Tuesday.
