Catherine Sasman
19 March 2008
Windhoek — Botswana High Commissioner to Namibia, Norman Seduma Moleboge, has encouraged businesses from both countries to forge closer ties for improved regional trade in mutually investment-friendly environments.
The Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) is hosting a 20-member business delegation from the Botswana Export Development and Investment Authority (BEDIA), wooing business partners in this country.
In 2006, Namibia's exports to Botswana amounted to U.S.$15 million, with beer and mineral fuels the biggest export products.
During the same period, Botswana's exports to Namibia amounted to U.S.$6 million, with the biggest exports in cereals and chemical products.
Export Promotion Manager of BEDIA, Brian Mosenene, said the semi-autonomous investment institution has a special bias towards value addition to local raw materials.
With more cattle than people in Botswana, the country has established two modern tanneries to produce leather and other beef by-products. The country produces 300000 cattle hides per year and the tanneries have a capacity of 1500 heads of cattle per day.
Botswana is also rich in clay used in the manufacturing of an assortment of clay products, and raw materials for different categories of glass (float, container and fibre).
Mosenene said Botswana is embarking on major capital projects, inviting investments and joint ventures.
These projects include the Dukwi Copper Mine (US$34 million), the erection of a 2400 MW power plant at an estimated U.S.$4 billion and various dam constructions estimated at U.S.$920 million, to start soon.
Within the next few months, Botswana will also start the construction of a medical university (valued at U.S.$740 million) and a university of science and technology (US$1 billion).
Another interesting project is the envisaged Namibia-Botswana rail link that is estimated to cost US$1 billion. The feasibility study for this rail project is near completion.
Mosenene acknowledged that Botswana is as hard-hit by the electricity crisis in the region as is Namibia because it also imports the bulk of its electricity from Eskom, South Africa. The country is, however, looking into becoming power self-reliant. Botswana has one trillion metric tons of coal deposits and the country is looking into striking agreements with investors.
Mosenene said the challenge for Botswana is its small internal market, long distances from ports, low entrepreneurial development and the urgent need to diversify its economy not to be over-reliant on mining.
The country's growth pattern indicates diversification. Last year, mining contributed 5.2 percent to that country's growth. The non-mining sector contributed 6.8 percent to the growth of the economy.
Its major exports are diamonds, soda ash, copper, nickel and beef.
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