Business Botswana to open Office in China
Botswana’s chamber of commerce – Business Botswana – is working actively with its partner to open a Business Botswana (BB) Office in Hunan Province, China.
This was revealed by the President of Business Botswana Gobusamang Keebine last Friday during the China (Changde) – Botswana Economic and Trade Investment Promotion Conference at Grand Aria hotel in Gaborone.
Keebine added that Business Botswana has appointed Miles Nan of African Agriculture (AA) and Botswana-China Friendship Association- as Director, Commercial, Asia, in recognition that “we want to do business with China”.
Keebine said they are conscious of the fact that China is a world power, which over the years has shown its intentional direct wish to do business with Africa, and that Botswana is a part of Africa, hence the wish to open the office in China.
He also mentioned that Botswana recently ratified the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement thereby positioning the country in the centre of Southern African Development Community (SADC) to offer Chinese investors and businesses a platform to access Africa’s 1, 4 billion market.
Business Botswana wants to move away from just buying in China, to become an active participant in trade and investment facilitation for its members, SMMEs and ordinary Batswana many of whom either travel to buy goods and services in China or make order online only to receive what they had not ordered.
“We therefore saw the need to ensure that when we are in China we are there for Batswana not just Business Botswana. We are there to promote longstanding business partnerships between Chinese and Batswana – we are looking particularly at SMMEs to set up business in Botswana. We want to bring in entrepreneurship,” he said
He said they will work closely with Botswana embassy in China to become the commercial wing of the Botswana government and forge stronger ties between the two nations cognisant of the different business and work ethics between the two nations.
In her remarks, the Director – Business Services, Ministry of Trade and Industry Seipati Olweny thanked the Deputy Mayor of Changde City Cao Lijun for extending an invitation to Botswana to participate at the upcoming third China-Africa economic and Trade Expo Conference (CAETE). She said Botswana has already started undertaking the necessary mobilisation of key institutions both private and public that would take part at the Expo, which she said opens the doors for Botswana companies to take advantage of the abundant trade and investment opportunities between the two countries.
Olweny said they view China and the Hunan Province as a key partner for Botswana in realising many of Botswana’s economic priorities. China has helped Botswana in the development of human capital which is an important ingredient for any country that wants to achieve economic prosperity.
She explained that beyond human capital development, Chinese investors in Botswana are established in areas such as construction, IT, manufacturing and retail among others.
In terms of trade, bilateral trade between Botswana and China stood at USD492m in 2021. While the trade balance is skewed towards Botswana, a considerable amount of the exports were diamonds.
“Botswana is therefore on a path to change this pattern and diversify its exports through the development of value chains across targeted sectors as espoused in the Reset Agenda,” she said.
She then invited investors from China and specifically from the Hunan Province to explore opportunities in the Agro-processing; Minerals beneficiation; Tourism; ICT and Pharmaceuticals sectors.
Also present at the occasion was Business Botswana Chief Executive Normanm Moleele, who encouraged Batswana businesses present at the conference to seriously engage the Chinese delegation from Changde about participating in the CAETE.