Africa-Press – Botswana. Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC), in collaboration with city, town and district councils and Local Economic Development (LED) framework, has started profiling some projects around Botswana with a view to package and ready them for marketing to potential domestic and international investors.
This was said by trade and industry minister, Honourable Mmusi Kgafela when responding to a question in Parliament recently.
Honourable Kgafela said the ministry promoted domestic and foreign investments through its departments and State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) in various areas of Botswana.
He added that through BITC, the ministry had mapped investment opportunities at district level which guided investment promotion and attraction efforts by the institution.
He indicated that Mabutsane, Mahotshwane, Sekoma, Kokong and Keng were rich in natural resources, which can be harnessed to bring in investments into such areas.
“Some of the natural resources include some plant species which can be used to make natural medicines and promote pharmaceutical manufacturing in those areas,” he said.
He however said there was no specific plan for such areas, adding the ministry was open for engagement should there be ideas brought forward.
He also said such investments had the potential to boost the economy of those areas including the country through employment creation, rising incomes and skills transfer from the projects.
The minister said investment opportunities existed in livestock and cropping farming, animal feed production, keeping wildlife, manufacturing of natural medicines from plant species found in the area, small scale cement production, small scale oxalic acid production from excess biogas and high quality charcoal production.
Jwaneng-Mabutsane MP, Mr Mephato Reatile had asked the minister to state measures the ministry had taken to attract and support both local and foreign investors to develop projects and industries that capitalised on the unique wildlife, climate, vegetation and other natural resources in Sekoma, Kokong, Keng and Mabutsane.
He also asked the minister to state any potential projects that had been identified in and around those villages that might warrant seeking investors and if such investments had the potential to significantly boost the economy of the villages and surrounding villages.
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