Africa-Press – Botswana. In a significant show of support for budding entrepreneurs, Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC) has extended a lifeline to graduates of the Tokafala Suppliers Development programme.
During a ceremony held on Tuesday to celebrate the 2023/2024 cohort of graduates, BITC revealed that seven out of the 15 graduates, predominantly women, will be granted free access to the upcoming Business Botswana (BB) Conference in Francistown.
The sponsorship, which saves each selected graduate P3 000 in registration fees, is a crucial opportunity for participants who otherwise would have faced significant financial barriers to attend the event, which will be officially opened by His Excellency President Dr Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi on August 26.
Mr Gaerekwe Gaerekwe, the BITC Director of Business Services for the Northern Region, expressed his enthusiasm for the initiative, emphasising the importance of supporting local entrepreneurs.
“For the seven lucky graduates of the Tokafala Supplier Development programme, BITC has extended an invitation for these budding entrepreneurs to attend the conference free of charge,” he said.
The Tokafala Suppliers Development programme, a three-year initiative, provides training and mentorship to enhance management skills and boost growth strategies for enterprises. Mr Gaerekwe highlighted that the development of Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) required collaborative efforts among all stakeholders.
To address this issue, BITC has launched a national campaign, known as #PushaBW, which includes a marketing stall at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport to promote locally produced products. “This campaign is designed to encourage Batswana to actively support the local economy by purchasing locally made products and using local services,” Mr. Gaerekwe added.
The association with the BB Conference promises to be a pivotal moment for the selected Tokafala graduates, opening doors for networking and growth within the entrepreneurial community.
“The campaign seeks to implored Batswana to empower, sustain and grow the country by cautiously purchasing and using Botswana products,” Mr Gaerekwe added. He said BITC mandate was to help businesses pursue international markets and provide opportunities for such.
He said because such enterprises have potential to access internal markets, BITC could help build their marketing skills, improve product quality, provide funding opportunities and offer any intervention to put them in the competitive edge. “The international markets await our readiness as a country. One such market is the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),” he said.
He said Botswana rectified her agreement in 2023; an agreement that gift Botswana a position to benefit from inter regional trade with the African continent and further contribute to the growth and diversification of the country’s economy.
“It covers a market of 1.4 billion people and a gross domestic product of $3.4 trillion, across all 55 member states of the African union. He assured the companies that market opportunities awaited them, both nationally, regionally and internationally.
In her welcome remarks, Francistown assistant district commissioner, Ms Mpho Bungile said the programme was a result of a partnership between government, Debswana, De Beers, and Anglo-American under which citizen owned enterprises were equipped with entrepreneurial skills to prepare them for global competitiveness.
She said the leadership of Francistown had a desire to see economic developments that make the second city an investment destination of choice. “Programmes such as Tokafala exist to accelerate our enterprises as they enhance skills and provide a platform for networking and benchmarking,” she added.
One of the graduates, Ms Lorraine Kenny of Smart Paper manufacturing said it had been a transformative journey with Tokafala, an enterprise development of local businesses. She said despite some challenges, the programme went well and as planned; and Tokafala initiative managed to assist her businesses to growth and secure finances.
Tokafala Enterprise Development Programme is a three-year initiative, which started in 2014 and is now on its third Phase.
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