With efforts to share specific business opportunities in different sectors in the economy of Botswana, Botswana Export Development and Investment Authority (BEDIA) brought prominent South African and European brands ambassadors and business owners to the global expo 2011.
Addressing the media on Friday, BEDIA Acting Chief Executive Officer, Lameck Nthekela, stated that BEDIA facilitates foreign and domestic investment in Botswana through a number of services.
He said any bottlenecks that they are confronted with on a daily basis are addressed quickly and as practically as possible.
He introduced South African business woman and television personality, Gerry Elson, CEO of Soul Candi Records, Harael Salkow, Editor of Destiny Man Magazine, Kojo Baffoe, and former Manchester United player Gary Bailey.
Nthekelang said there have growth in the establishment of new companies that contribute to sustainable development.
He stated that business can help ensure that markets, commerce, technology and finance advance in ways that benefit economies and societies everywhere. According to Nthekelang, Botswana offers various incentives crucial to business development and they should be of maximum use and benefit.
“We operate as one stop shop within BEDIA to ensure speedy processing of all relevant authorizations such as permits and land applications and utilities,” said Nthekelang.
He said the global expo partnerships are a step forward towards advocating for partnership with other visitors from the developed world. Furthermore, he said BEDIA is designed to assist in developing international market entry strategies that identify the objectives, resources or policies that will in turn assist participating companies develop their sustainable international business focus.
“BEDIA had attracted substantial investment to Botswana and contributed to diversification of the country’s economy,” he said.
Elson said she is very much interested in fashion and textile industry, adding that she is taking into consideration developing partnership in Botswana.
“Botswana and South Africa will continue to benefit from the tourism industry which will boost the two economies,” she said.
She observed that the textile industry is an industry that relies on a high degree of communication and there is need for partnerships and recommend policies and strategic options for future growth of the industry.
She said there is a ray of hope for emerging economies and developing countries, particularly for Botswana and South Africa where businesses are increasingly recognized as a driver of development, exports and jobs.
“A tourist can come and show you what you sitting on, in your own land,” said Elson.
She urged the two governments to put measures and strategies aimed at enhancing resilience to external economic shocks and achieve and sustain economic growth.
Salkow stated that the entertainment industry is beneficial to other industries and added that artists and record labels are major stakeholders. Salkow stated that the travelling community is becoming increasingly aware of the world cultures and would like to integrate it in their travel choices.
The global expo ended yesterday (Saturday) having run from November 23-25 at Fairgrounds in Gaborone.
