A business symposium that is expected to bring together government, business and other players in the economy to evaluate Botswana’s economic performance in the last 50 years is slated for December this year.
The organisers of the symposium said Thursday that the symposium will bring together international development agencies like the International Trade Center, UN Economic Commission for Africa and Moody’s Credit Rating agency.
Locally, institutions such as the Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE), Women in Business Association (WIBA) and the Botswana Exporters and Manufacturers association (BEMA) are expected to headline the two day event in an effort to also draft a blue-print for the local economy.
“The Symposium will look to continue a discussion around efforts the country has made in building a conducive environment for an active economy that is able to achieve the country’s development and macroeconomic objectives. An international context and perspective of this review and mapping the way forward is another critical element of the Symposium hence efforts have been made to attract both internationally renowned scholars and think tanks and international development agencies with experience from developing and developed economies,” Archie Thembe, who is one of the organisers said Thursday.
Thembe said that over the years there has been research done including case studies around the development of Botswana mainly by scholars in an effort to explain how the country managed to achieve the level of development through the use of income from the minerals sector.
“While such studies continue to be insightful in the country achieving its 50 years of independence therein lies an opportunity for the country to conduct a holistic review of its legislations, policies and programmes that affect directly or indirectly the country’s economic set up and therefore its economic development in order to set the agenda for building a globally competitive Botswana and investor attractive economy,” Thembe said.
