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Under the auspices of true partnership, and to celebrate 50 years of independence, key representatives from the Botswana Government will tour three cities in the United States to engage captains of industry in the US market in New York, San Francisco and Chicago. The tour is a collaborative effort with The De Beers Group of Companies, The Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources and the Botswana Development Corporation. De Beers play a key role in the country’s diamond mining industry in an effort to support and collaborate with Botswana to promote economic diversification and business opportunities.
Botswana became a sovereign nation in 1966 and is considered one of the most stable, peaceful and transparent countries on the African continent, being consistently rated the least corrupt country in Africa by Transparency International. The country is committed to sound fiscal policy, economic freedom and has a steady growth rate. It is ranked as the world’s most attractive investment location by New York University’s Altman Baseline Profitability Index (BPI).
“50 years of independence is a remarkable milestone and we are proud to showcase our country’s unique offering to business leaders to highlight the opportunities that exist in Botswana as a springboard into the rest of the continent,” says Honourable Kitso Mokaila, Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources, Republic of Botswana.
The tour will focus on engaging strategic industries for investment including the mining and energy, tourism, ICT, innovation and information technology, communication, services and automotive sectors. Growth opportunities for foreign investors include trade and tourism as well as financial and government services, with medium-term growth prospects existing in the mining, steel manufacturing and horticultural sectors.
“The successful relocation of our international sales operation from London to Gaborone is testament to the ease of doing business in Botswana, and De Beers enjoy a truly collaborative and mutually beneficial business partnership that has proved sound and that we hope to continue in the years to come,” says Mr. Gareth Mostyn, Executive Head of Strategy and Corporate Affairs at The De Beers Group of Companies.
The country boasts one of the fastest growth rates per capita in the world, with the highest sovereign credit rating, being named the Second Freest Economy in Africa, providing investors with preferential access to the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) 230 million people marketplace. The workforce is well educated, with English being spoken broadly and an 82% literary rate and very little labour tension. There are also no foreign exchange controls or restrictions on business ownership.
“Our focus is on innovation as we continue to pioneer and unlock value in existing sectors in Botswana. Our strategic focus as the Botswana Development Corporation (BDC) is to encourage business opportunities for sustainable investments and we are excited to engage and explore partnerships with US based businesses focused on key strategic sectors of Botswana’s economy such as infrastructure, energy, innovation and agriculture, amongst others,” says Mr. Bashi Gaetsaloe Managing Director of Botswana Development Corporation.
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Notes to editors
New York symposia, 1 June
The New York symposia will be moderated by world-renowned business speaker Rene Carayol, who has facilitated business symposia across Europe, USA, Africa and Asia Pacific. The programme includes a panel to discuss The Success Factors of Botswana’s Prosperity as well as a discussion on 50 Years Forward: Botswana’s Economic Outlook, Priority Sectors for Economic Diversification. This will be followed by breakaway sessions to discuss the six priority business focus sectors in Botswana. Breakaway sessions will include a discussion on the opportunities for investment in the Mining and Energy Sectors overseen by his Honourable Kitso Mokaila, Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources. Following that will be an in-depth dialogue on Priority Sectors for Investment into Botswana’s economy including the Infrastructure sector, automotive sector, Leather & Leather Goods sectors, Logistics sector, and ICT & Innovation sector.
San Francisco symposia, 7 June
The San Francisco leg of the symposia will see the delegation engage with key technology companies including Facebook and Autodesk. The conference will include a session on Leading Emerging Markets to Greater Prosperity from the Stanford University Institute for Innovation. Smart City will also explore how cloud based technology can aid energy efficiency, a key consideration for Botswana, as well as a full session on Clean Energy. Commercial Drones will discuss the use of technology as an effective weapon for infrastructure development initiatives. The event will close off with a Venture Capital Forum with key insights and experiences from top minds on lessons for building new economies and a session from Next Gen GPS on how corporates and government can save fuel, reduce maintenance costs, improve safety, reduce risk and improve productivity in the Agriculture, Mining, and Automotive, Construction, Robotics and UAV sectors.
Chicago symposia, 9 June
The Chicago symposia, facilitated by Rene Carayol, will provide delegates with a macro-economic overview and will look at opportunities for economic diversification. His Excellency, David Newman, Ambassador of the Republic of Botswana to the United States of America, will be present to address delegates in the keynote session. Breakaway sessions will cover Investment Opportunities in Infrastructure, Energy and other key sectors, insight into Tourism and the broad Investment Opportunities in Botswana and finally a session to talk about Investment Opportunities in the Diamond Value Chain.
CONTACTS:
Pat Dambe
Head of Corporate Affairs, De Beers Global Sightholder Sales, Gaborone
Tel: +267 71361182
Email: [email protected]
Rebecca Aaku
Stakeholder Relations Manager, De Beers Global Sightholder Sales, Gaborone
Tel: +267 71342625
Email: [email protected]
Walker Williams
President of Alternative Marketing Access Inc. (AMA) and Management Consultant
Email: [email protected]
About The De Beers Group of Companies
De Beers is a member of the Anglo American group. Established in 1888, De Beers is the world’s leading diamond company with unrivalled expertise in the exploration, mining and marketing of diamonds. Together with its joint venture partners, De Beers employs more than 20,000 people (directly and as contractors) across the diamond pipeline, and is the world’s largest diamond producer by value, with mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. As part of the company’s operating philosophy, the people of De Beers are committed to Living up to Diamonds by making a lasting contribution to the communities in which they live and work, and transforming natural resources into shared national wealth. For further information about De Beers visit www.debeersgroup.com.