BITC export programme gains traction
The Botswana Exporter Development Programme ( BEDP) managed by Botswana Investment and Trade Centre ( BITC), has assisted over 150 companies with tailor- made capacity building solutions, with some of them now being competitive and sustainable exporters.
The above programme, is part of the Agency’s multi- pronged initiatives aimed at advancing government’s concerted efforts of making Botswana an exports- focused country in the long run. The BEDP, among others, aims to increase exports of products and services, create employment opportunities and contribute to the diversification of the economy. Botswana, a landlocked country, is seeking to diversify the economy away from the mineral sector which contributes in majority to the Gross Domestic Product ( GDP) on an annual basis.
The BEDP, which is BITC ‘ s flagship exporter development programme further provides a platform to ensure participating companies are given intensive support to enhance their export competitiveness, in addition to helping them in establishing a significant foothold in regional and international markets. The programme also offers an integrated approach to training and educating potential exporters and considers the needs of small, large and established exporters. Since BEDP was established, several interventions have been given to companies such as acquiring relevant compliance certifications needed in the export markets such as Quality Management Systems, Fairtrade and FDA registration, enrolling them for export readiness capacity building courses such as Export Marketing, Export logistics and Incoterms, export awareness workshops and sourcing experts to assist and impart skills and innovative ideas to the assisted companies.
In 2017, BITC and University of Botswana ( UB), launched an Export Trading Module which continues to
enlighten undergraduate students on exports dynamics at a global stage. As a results of BITC interventions, a number of locally based companies dealing in fertilizers, cosmetics, clothing and apparels, power cables, electronics, food products, electrical equipment, animal vaccines have managed to sell into the export markets. The BEDP fits perfectly within government’s five- year National Export Strategy ( 2019- 2024), which seeks to increase the country’s exports, diversify its products, and create at least three thousand new jobs, in addition to fast- tracking achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs).
The long- term vision of NES is to make Botswana a leading, developed economy built upon a sustainable and competitive export base. To support this Vision, the EDP also focuses on developing new local exporters and assisting existing ones to grow and it is one of the programmes that will support the NES. “At the implementation level, export- led growth is dependent upon both the overall macro- economic
and micro- economic environments, and particularly on aspects of the latter related to the business climate. BEDP is designed to address some aspects of the constraints that firms face in trying to develop production for exports. Notable constraints being the small size of the domestic economy and the fragmented nature of the business sector,” said BITC which is a parastatal within the Ministry of Trade and Industry, led by Minister Mmusi Kgafela.
The foundations of exporter development for 2020 to 2024 remain raising export awareness, building the capacity of export ready companies to comply with export procedures and market requirements, and linking companies with foreign buyers. There is, however, a greater emphasis on market intelligence, related to non- traditional markets and for nontraditional products.
The BEDP continues to work not only with export ready companies, but also targets exporter and buyer clusters to broaden the export base to smaller producers that on their own would not be able to meet the requirements of the export markets. “To underscore a more market led approach, it will harness lead firms to work with export villages to directly connect small producers to foreign customers.”
In addition, BITC continues to look into every available opportunity that enable local exporters to market their products and services at a global stage. For example, BITC hosted a pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020 that ran from October 2021 through to March 2022 to promote the recovery and diversification of its products and services.
Finished diamonds, financial services, arts and crafts, innovation and technology, tourism and food were some of the sectors which were showcased at the event.
There are a number of companies who have successfully benefitted from BITC’s export programme. One of them is Maungo Craft, a food processing company that makes artisanal, preserves ( Jams), hot sauce and syrups that are natural and handcrafted. The company also upcycle indigenous foods such as morula, baobab and lerotse melon then we pair them with contemporary flavors giving you the most unique flavor profiles.
As a result of BITC intervention, Maungo Craft has successfully entered the United States market through Amazon. “Maungo Craft has worked with BITC to get ready to sell on Amazon from a compliance perspective. This was very useful because there are a number of regulatory steps and actions that need to be taken before you can export. Maungo Craft also works with BITC on trade missions for market access in order to help us access new markets. Our products were used at the Dubai Expo during food week where chefs got a chance to showcase Tswana cuisine with our products,” said Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Bonolo Monthe.
BITC has assisted Maungo Craft to send their samples to the United States. “We have also been awarded the pride mark that we use proudly on our labels and marketing material. If we are not able to attend a tradeshow they take our products on our behalf and promote them with other products from Botswana. They also assisted us with getting our Fair- Trade Certification,” disclosed Monthe. In the United States, the company sells Roasted Chilli Garlic and Morula Hot Sauce ( Medium) which is selling on Amazon and was also featured on
Bloomberg Pursuits as the hot sauce to look out for in the United States. Maungo Craft currently employs 8 full time staff and 5 part time. The other company that has also been assisted by BITC is Techno Feeds, although they are yet to exports. Techno Feeds is a market leader in ruminant and animal feeds, supplements and concentrates in Botswana. The company has been operating since 2007 with distributors all over the country.
Felicity Hunter, Marketing Manager of Techno Feeds has praised BITC’s assistance so far which among others included preparing the ground for them to enter the export market.