The Head of the Civil Service and Permanent Secretary to the President, Eric Molale, is expected to address the Botswana Confederation of Commerce, Industry and Manpower (BOCCIM) 40th Annual General Meeting with the debate on relocation of the Diamond Centre (DTC) to Gaborone, Botswana.
BOCCIM Head of Communications Marketing and Public Relations, Komissa Burzlaff, told Sunday Standard this week that this year the topic of discussion will center on “Relocation of the Diamond Trading Centre to Gaborone, Botswana”. She added that BOCCIM members will gain first hand information on potential business opportunities that can arise from the relocation, potential areas of interest to venture into and the macro economic impact.
BOCCIM spokesperson further stated that the upcoming AGM will also discuss BOCCIM’s financial performance as well as the Secretariat’s strategic outputs.
“It is also a time where members get to meet the BOCCIM team and discuss areas of concerns and suggestions for improvement”.
Burzlaff highlighted that the AGM has not only brought BOCCIM council members, staff and sector coordinators to meet with members but plays an important role in bringing the business community to network and strengthen their business linkages.
“According to the BOCCIM Constitution, Presidential elections should occur every two years, since we had elections last year there will not be any this year for the BOCCIM President position.
Elections for Council Members are done on an Annual basis but not at the AGM,” said Burzlaff.
Furthermore, she said BOCCIM has been emphasizing the importance of private the sector being a key driver of Botswana’s economy and added that diverse opportunities are bound to happen with the relocation of DTC to Gaborone.
Burzlaff revealed that BOCCIM found it essential that private sector be made aware of growth areas the macro impact the relocation could have and the long term prospects for those venturing into various business sectors. She stated that it is also in line with the BOCCIM President’s vision of Gaborone becoming a diamond city, where development takes place around this concept, which could lead to future diversification areas, such as tourism.
The BOCCIM spokesperson was optimistic that with diamond purchasers coming to Botswana, potential business exists in real estate, tourism, services, entertainment, to name a few.
“This will be an excellent platform for the business community to unravel the potential and start strategizing on how their businesses can gain from the relocation, also importantly what opportunities to tap into,” she said.
BOCCIM AGM is scheduled for June 28 at Boipuso Hall and over 120 members are expected to attend.
Molale is expected to discuss the relocation of DTC to Gaborone, and there will be an election for the vice president for the northern region and BOCCIM CEO will finally announce to the membership the 2012 BOCCIM Council.
“This is also an opportunity for BOCCIM to inform its members on the challenges experienced throughout the year, proposed solutions and to get general input from BOCCIM members,” Burzlaff stated.
