BITC on aggressive PushaBW drive

Invites retails, hotels, citizens to consume local goods

Botswana Investment and Trade Centre ( BITC) is this year holding a Global Expo with a difference following an aggressive campaign to push locally made goods into local stores and wholesales through the ‘ PushaBW’ slogan.

Global Expo 2020 whose theme is ‘ Using Disruptive Tech to Shape the New Normal in the era of COVID- 19 and Beyond’, was conducted virtually and attracted over 117 companies around the world.

Speaking to Botswana Guardian on the sidelines of the expo, BITC Chief Operations Officer ( COO) Reginald Selelo admitted that COVID has been a challenge.

This notwithstanding, BITC’s role particularly to the creative industry and as an institution, is to help mentor economy whether the creatives, music, fashion, manufacturing or any other productive sector of the economy.

Selelo revealed that they dedicated Thursday to hold the session on PushaBW forum at which Investment, Trade and Industry minister Peggy Serame was scheduled to address the issue of how to take Batswana products into the shelves and how to ensure promotion of locally manufactured products.

Local buyers such as Trans Africa, Hilton Garden hotels were also expected to grace the session. BITC wants

Hilton group of hotels to buy locally made goods such as towels, linen, cosmetics, toiletries and so forth.

The session also discussed how BITC could assist a Motswana who has a product to sell to list in all chain stores like Choppies and Sefalana. “We cannot continue to be consumers of products of foreign identity. So by producing and consuming our own goods, we are creating employment in our own country,” Selelo said. He encouraged

Batswana to make a conscious decision when they enter shops to buy a local product because “even if it is a little expensive just buy it knowing you are creating jobs in your own country”. Another session on the same day was a conversation with Israel- based founder of Our Crowd, John Medved on the importance of crowd funding, a concept in which people come together and pool resources for investment. “We brought him to explain crowd funding as he is a serial entrepreneur and one of Israel’s leading venture capitalists. In 2008 he was named among the top 10 influential Americans who impacted Israel.” Officially opening the Global Expo 2020, President Dr. Mokgweetsi Masisi said since the advent of COVID- 19, Botswana has experienced a rapid increase in the use of technology throughout the country.

“The COVID- 19 health protocols being implemented by Government resulted in, among others, school closures that necessitated online instructions by teachers to learners; people working from their homes; and entrepreneurs and researchers harnessing innovative solutions to contribute to the containment and transmission of the pandemic in our country.” He said government has undertaken some key e- service initiatives such as e- learning, to digitise schools and enhance Information Communication Technology ( ICT) accessibility; ehealth, to improve access to healthcare; and e- commerce to promote the use of digital payment platforms.

He said like the rest of the world, Botswana has identified disruptive digital technologies as key enablers for economic recovery and transformation.

“We must prioritise skills development and capacity- building, digital infrastructure development, digital access and international collaboration in the economic recovery trajectory, thereby enabling a “Global Economic Reset” beyond COVID- 19,” the President said. This is a clear demonstration that “our young people are key in finding creative solutions that will contribute to the diversification of our economy and in no small measure, job creation, through the use of technology”. Masisi therefore urged the private sector, civil society and development partners to continue supporting “our youth to showcase their talents and tap into their innovative potential.”