Africa Economic Leadership launches Botswana chapter
The African Economic Leadership Council (AELC), an exclusive platform bringing together entrepreneurs, policy makers, and business communities to form linkages and access market creation across the African continent launched its Botswana chapter in Gaborone.
This African economic dream was inspired by two young ambitious different minds who are also entrepreneurs: Co-Founder and Chairman, Percy Morapedi Koji from South Africa and Heinrich Hafeni, Co-Founder and President from Namibia who launched their first chapter on April 5, 2021 in Windhoek, Namibia. The second chapter was launched on April 5, 2022, Johannesburg, South Africa; with the third chapter in Gaborone this week (May 3, 2022). Speaking at the launch on Tuesday at Cresta Lodge in Gaborone, Koji said him and his partner Hafeni embarked on a vigorous research and finding a solution to close the gap between the policies and the entrepreneurs’ journey after they met at Nelson Mandela Fellowship programme in the United States five years ago.
Their aim was to come up with a better platform for entrepreneurs in the African continent to engage, and build own African continent powerhouse. The two discovered that African entrepreneurs were hungry and thirsty for opportunities to engage with the (potential) buyers,
hence the AELC birth. “We want to come up with better platforms for entrepreneurs/business organisations and business leaders together to establish business linkages.
A lot of our entrepreneurs want an opportunity to engage and the platform allows engaging at a continental level,” said Koji. Furthermore, with the launch of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement in January last year, the duo saw the right opportune to launch the Council.
Launching a chapter in Botswana, following South Africa and Namibia respectively, the diamond rich landlocked Botswana is strategically positioned to offer opportunities of trade.