The ring fencing of special economic zones reforms has taken centre stage at the highest level of government, with President Mokgweetsi Masisi and his cabinet endorsing the establishment of the Botswana Board of Investment (BBI).
This was revealed by Lonely Mogara, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Special Economic Zones authority (SEZA) at the seventh Mayors Forum in Lobatse recently. According to Mogara, the BBI will operate as a strategic platform chaired by the President, responsible for unlocking all barriers to trade and investment. Considering the hurdles that SEZA has faced in the past, largely because of its cross-ministerial operations, pundits believe the strategic avenue will fast track the on-boarding of investors and development of SEZs.
“In our relentless pursuit of excellence, SEZA has initiated a strategic process of ringfencing the SEZ reform at central government level. This undertaking has been marked by extensive engagements with various government ministries and the meticulous development of legal instructions aimed at amending conflicting policies and statutes,” said Mogara.
He explained that the amendments will enable smooth rollout of reforms through implementation of SEZ incentives and regulations, thus fostering a conducive business environment for investors. Mogara also underscored the importance of the Mayors Forum as an engagement platform between SEZA and local authorities, aimed at enabling integration of efforts at both central and local government levels.
“We recognise local authorities as pivotal partners in on-boarding investors, infrastructure development and streamlining of regulatory processes. It was not by chance that we identified local authorities as indispensable partners in our mission towards realising the rapid development of our economy through the SEZ reform,” said Mogara.
He urged all stakeholders of the Mayors Forum to collaborate and catalyse positive change and economic transformation in order to propel the nation towards a brighter future.
“Our collective efforts today will shape the prosperity of generations to come,” said Mogara.
Mayors Forum Delivers Phikwe Citrus Project
Mogara lauded the Mayors Forum for working tirelessly to facilitate various mega export-oriented projects, among them the recently launched Selebi Phikwe Citrus (SPC) project. According to Mogara, the project was designated as a single factory SEZ and delivered through collaborative efforts between SEZA, Bobirwa District Council, Selebi Phikwe Town Council (SPTC) and sister parastatals like Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC).
“This project is a great demonstration of the One BW and One Gov approach – an effort that will take this country to another level,” he said.
The Bobirwa District Council and the Selebi Phikwe Town Council also presented to the Mayors Forum on the scale of the citrus project, possible job opportunities as well as business opportunities that will be availed along the citrus value chain. When delivering his committee of supply speech earlier, Minister of Trade Mmusi Kgafela revealed that the flagship citrus project successfully planted 840,000 seedlings and completed a 17,000 square meter packing house in Phase 1. After Botswana satisfied the European Union (EU), Canada, China, Philippines, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia market access requirements; the project was able to dispatch its first export consignment. At full operation, the project will employ 1,000 people and create business opportunities across various value chains; among them manufacturing of juice and packaging materials, transport and logistics and honey production.
