Stanbic Bank Botswana has reaffirmed its commitment to citizen economic empowerment and industrial growth through a P250,000 sponsorship towards the 2026 Local Manufacturing Summit held in Gaborone.
The summit, hosted under the theme “Shaping the Future of Botswana’s Manufacturing Sector: Exploring Export Markets,” formed part of a three-year partnership between the bank and the Botswana Chamber of Mines that has now exceeded P750,000 in total support.
Over the course of the collaboration, manufacturing businesses benefited from structured enterprise development support, including annual sponsorships, grants of up to P500,000, and access to Stanbic’s Accelerate Centre. The initiative focused on strengthening operational capacity, improving competitiveness, and helping local manufacturers access new markets.
Speaking at the summit, Stanbic Bank Botswana Acting Head of Business and Commercial Banking, Basimane Tshepe, said the partnership highlighted the impact of collaboration in advancing citizen-led industrial growth.
“Over the past three years, this partnership has shown what is possible when industry, development partners, and local enterprise work with a shared purpose. We have seen manufacturing businesses strengthen their capabilities, improve resilience, and take firmer steps into growth markets,” said Tshepe.
He added that empowering citizen-owned businesses remains central to the bank’s long-term strategy.
“Supporting manufacturing is ultimately about supporting citizens to participate meaningfully in the economy. Our focus has been on enabling growth that is practical, sustainable, and rooted in local capability,” he said.
The bank said the partnership contributed to broader national goals around enterprise development, economic diversification, and job creation within Botswana’s manufacturing sector.
