Botswana’s largest asset manager, Bifm, which manages the country’s long-term wealth on behalf of the pension industry, is expected to host an offshore investor’s conference in Gaborone.
Bifm Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tiny Kgatlwane said the 5th offshore investor’s conference is expected to give clients the opportunity to receive an update directly from managers and clients to interact directly with the investment managers.
She also stated that the other objective of the conference is to view the markets and investments as well as to enhance the offshore investor’s skills.
“We want to keep our clients informed as we are the custodians of people’s money,” said Kgatlwane
She revealed that the theme for the conference is “Managing Money in Challenging Times”, adding that the topics to be covered are very diverse and interesting. She said international managers are also expected to address the conference.
According to Kgatlwane, stock markets are relevant to the conference. The offshore investor’s conference is also expected to cover topics such as the influence of China in Africa, Minerals and Resources in Africa and Banks-post financial crisis, to mention a few.
Kgatlwane said the core international partners include Blackrock, who are expected to discuss the issue of managing money in challenging times, led by Colin Graham, while another partner SIM Global is expected to discuss the topic identifying investment opportunities in uncertain times by Jacobus Oosthuizen.
Kgatlwane stated that Alex Pestana from SIM will lead the discussion on China in Africa.
Other expected key partners include Robert Fairbairn from BlackRock on Trends in Investing in the Asset Management Industry.
“The fund managers of yesterday are different from the fund managers of today as we view the environment differently,” said Kgatlwane.
Bifm Chief Investment Officer (CIO) Stephen Mills stated that there is value to increased offshore investment in the country.  He said Botswana is currently faced with the challenge of a local market that is too small for offshore investment.
Responding to the Non-Banking Financial Regulatory Authority (NBFIRA)’s call for offshore investments to be reduced by 70 percent to 30 percent, he stated that Bifm support it but it should be planned properly to avoid affecting Botswana’s market negatively.
“It is important to have a strong currency, and Botswana has been affected by high inflation rates,” said Mills.
Sanlam, another partner will be a key player at the conference. Bifm offshore investor’s conference is expected to kick-start on August 9 at the Gaborone International Convention Centre.
