New coaching firm target SMMEs

A good number of Chief Executives Officers of local financing institutions, agencies, SMMEs, and prospective business people attended the historic, colorful and grand launch of Action Coach- Botswana. Action Coach is a company that specialises in business coaching for small and medium companies and will mainly focus on shaping generations through ensuring that Small and Medium Enterprises survive with effective coaching. Guest speaker and Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Peggy Serame said the launch means that Botswana joins 88 other countries across the globe where Action Coach provides support to thousands of businesses, upholding its position of ‘ The World’s Number One Business Coaching Firm’. Furthermore, Action Coach- Botswana is joining other players to provide the support needed by emerging firms, in pursuit of the critical objectives of growing businesses, changing lives, and building communities. Locally these players include the likes of LEA, CEDA, Tokafala, Business Botswana, National Development Bank, and the Botswana Chamber of Mines, among others, whose collective efforts are aimed at ensuring sustainability and growth of the private sector.

Serame said services that Action Coach will bring to the market include, executive coaching; Group Coaching; One to one coaching, as well as Strategies Workshops – to train and improve employee business skills. She said as a government, these are initiatives that they strongly support, as they seek to elevate the entrepreneurial spirit in the country, as well provide the benefits of employment creation and lessen the burden of economic support on the government. They will also go a long way in broadening the economic base- export- led economy to a Knowledge- Based Economy.

Serame said to reverse these misfortunes and move towards economic recovery and transformation, there is a need for interventions that will expand employment and self- employment opportunities for citizens. She said parliament has approved the Economic Recovery and Transformation Plan ( ERTP), which is helping to re- boot the economy and cushion it from the shock of COVID- 19. There is also the National Reset Agenda, which resets the national priorities considering new and unexpected challenges, adopting new approaches, and putting in place new implementation measures and resources. Further that at an individual level, the call is for citizens to reset themselves and their mindset and position themselves as effective contributors to the growth of the economy. Serame said the government continues to implement initiatives and programmes that are geared towards empowering young people in businesses and skills development. To this end, 692 businesses owned by youth were funded by the government in the 2019/ 20 financial year. She said that government recognises the need for the upliftment of business knowledge among the youth, and continues to support and make available many avenues where technical skills and business acumen can be sharpened.

Through LEA, the government promotes entrepreneurship and SmallMedium, and Micro Enterprises to drive job creation. “At present, over 1000 SMMEs across the country receive support from LEA and with the above service offering and the quest to consistently deliver on their vision of ‘ World Abundance through Education’, I am hopeful that Action Coach Botswana will prove itself a credible ally to the Botswana business community’’’. Attendees were treated to an one- hour free coaching lessons by South African- based ActionCoach and director Pieter Scholtz who bought the franchise from Australia into the African continent. Addressing the audience, the man credited for bringing the business into Botswana and Managing Director, Wilfred Mpai said coaches and consultants have a role to play in growing the local economy. He said he is willing to collaborate with financial institutions to share knowledge and skills with young people, as well as the business community.