Global market beckons for local entrepreneurs
The world is their oyster
Batswana entrepreneurs who want to thrive and excel should take a global approach to their businesses, tap into export opportunities and think beyond the Botswana market.
Katlego Mokgethi, CEO of black female- owned diversified investments company, said in most cases some entrepreneurs limit themselves by focusing only on the local market instead of leveraging beyond borders and identifying ways to grow their market base.
She was speaking on the backdrop of The Village Bootcamp in Johannesburg, South Africa, which saw 20 Batswana entrepreneurs partaking in a capacitation workshop on business markets.
Mokgethi, who is also executive director of Market Players Botswana, said the hope was that the selected entrepreneurs had used the opportunity to learn more about the bigger business markets and expand their network.
“Africa is one big market and we want Batswana entrepreneurs to be part of that network. We want local entrepreneurs to grow from regional and go global.
“We don’t want them to think local only – we want local entrepreneurs to move from the SMMEs focus and look at the global market, because they do have potential. “At Market Players we are intentional about this growth, and don’t want to limit to Botswana. We also want to help them find solutions to the business challenges that they face, that impede their growth, so that they can flourish”. The Village Africa bootcamp in Johannesburg, which ended on Saturday, was facilitated by Market Players, a public benefit organisation committed to reducing the failure rate of citizen- owned businesses in Botswana, in collaboration with South African based entrepreneurship development organisation, The Crystal Hub.
The Village Africa Bootcamp is a platform by The Crystal Hub that is geared at bringing African entrepreneurs together, aligning mindset and strategy, to create an ecosystem that encourages collaboration and partnership across Africa.
It also aims to forge relationships with African countries, with the intention of empowering entrepreneurs, in the form of a boot- camp and other initiatives that will enable sharing, collaborations and global strategic partnerships which will aid access to possible opportunities within the continent.
The selected Botswana entrepreneurs were: Yandile Nuku of GIQ Media, Letsibogo Ramadi of PCG Software, Newman Ramatokwane of Paulman Holdings, Samuel Ntshiwa of Alosa Group, Uyapo Ketogetswe of Passport To, Ndibapo Matenge of Matenge Legal practice, Karabo Letsholo of VYB Digital, Lenny Tladi of Kgatleng Meat Ranch, Thuto Modibedi of Transilence Production House, Bonnie Basima of The Chubby Bunny, Mthabi Bokete of Digital Natives, Wada Busani of Ludo Beauty, Refilwe Nong of Refilwe Nong creations, Kagiso Mpa of the National Cook Off Botswana, Samuel Sono of Scoot Logistics, Kgomotso Phatsima of Dare to Dream, Tony Matsu of Social Light, Kagiso Tlhong of VI Fitness and Titose Chembezi of Kwiky.
Mokgethi said the top five businesses would be selected from each country and return for yet another final bootcamp, which comes with the possibility of winning a financial injection into the company for the best pitch.
Mokgethi said selection was done at the discretion of Market Players’ corporate governance board of trustees.
“We are confident that we selected the crème of the crop of young Batswana entrepreneurs. We were looking for entrepreneurs whose businesses show great innovation, and they show commitment and energy towards growth and re- invention. “We were also looking at businesses that had managed to curve with the bend during the Covid19 lockdowns, and these are the ones”!