Buy Botswana expo billing for BOBS early December

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development and Member of Parliament for Mochudi East, Mabuse Pule, will deliver official opening remarks at the Buy Botswana EXPO and Thought Leadership Conference scheduled for December 5 at BOBS headquarters. The forum is designed to showcase leading local manufacturers and service providers.

“It has been observed that some Procuring Entities (PE) within Government enclave are quite happy to purchase their goods and services from local providers while others continue to import some of the products from abroad despite the existence of good alternatives locally,” said Sello Motseta, the director of Buy Botswana EXPO and Thought Leadership Conference. “We want to therefore use this one-day event to celebrate the growth of local manufacturers.

Honour their willingness to create jobs and take the unenviable responsibility of trying to take this diamond-dependent economy forward despite the obvious risks involved.”

According to officials, the failure of state entities to comply with the Economic Diversification Drive initiative requirements has been attributed to enterprise constraints such as unreliable supplies, poor quality of products, uncompetitive prices, as well as, a low range of products available in the local market.

It is an argument that the organisers feel is no longer compelling given the number of BOBS-certified products and services being produced in Botswana.

The Ministry of Entrepreneurship is expected to share a novel presentation unpacking the value of the Economic Inclusion Act and policies for greater citizenship economic empowerment.

Public Procurement Regulatory Authority officials are also expected to enlighten local business owners about the opportunities provided by local reservation policies and the Economic Citizenship Empowerment Act.

Government buyers will share their experiences and advice with local business owners.