Gov’t develops E commerce strategy
Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Peggy Serame said government is developing an e- commerce strategy to facilitate the use of technology to transform the business services across the country.
Officially opening the virtual Botswana Investment and Trade Centre( BITC) Global Expo 2020, the minister said the adoption and use of technology has become apparent and a way of life particularly in this era of Covid- 19. “There is a projected decline in global trade and this calls for effective strategies to reach the global market.”
According to the latest statistics, over 65 percent of goods exported to Europe were raw materials and 70 percent of goods imported into Botswana were processed materials. Serame said this provides
an investment opportunity into value addition products for the African continent and Botswana should present itself as the preferred investment destination amongst African countries.
“Botswana is ready to roll out the carpet and do business with international investors. Botswana has incentives for its peers which includes zero rated Value Added Tax ( VAT) on raw materials for manufacturing, no exchange controls, property tax exemption for the first five years of operation, waiver on transfer Duty on land and property and five percent corporate tax. ”
elivering the State D of The Nation last week, President Masisi said the Tripatite Free Trade Area Agreement ( TFTA) which the country concluded in January has enabled Botswana to secure a duty free market for a variety of products including breeding animals, beef, salt, Vaccines for livestock, plastic pipes and tubes and the entire value chain. The TFA comprises 27 African countries.