Wanetsha Mosinyi
17 October 2008
A first-time exhibitor at Global Expo '08 has encouraged Botswana to exploit opportunities Brazil offers in areas of trade like leather manufacturing.
Russell Dowding, a logistics consultant and owner of Business Solutions Network, was speaking on behalf the Brazilian Embassy in Botswana at the show currently taking place at the Botswana Conference and Exhibition Centre (Fairgrounds) in Gaborone.
"There are a lot of opportunities in Brazil that Botswana can explore," Dowding said. "Our aim is to link investors between the two countries."
He said Brazil was well known for leather shoe manufacturing, which offered Botswana entrepreneurs opportunities to network with willing investors from his country.
"Botswana is rich in cattle, which potentially means it has the best leather products," said Dowding.
"I don't see why Botswana cannot compete with countries like Italy in making leather shoes, bags and jackets."When his company started to link Brazilian and South African investors three years ago, investment between the two countries stood at US$200 million, he said.
The investment is now worth over US$1 billion.He also encouraged the Botswana government and councils to consider Brazilian companies for the construction of more durable roads at lower prices and within shorter periods of time.
"There are companies who have developed a technology to build at least 300 metres of road a day, as long as there are four hours of no rain," Dowding said.
Products on exhibition at the Brazilian stall include beverages, perfumes and services that the South American country offers. This year's Global Expo is being held under the theme "Promoting Economic Diversification and International Trade."
The promoters of the show believe the theme is highly apt, given Botswana's long-held ambition to diversify its economy from diamonds and in the context of the ever-increasing market liberalisation of modern times brought about by globilisation.Global Expo Botswana is an annual international business-to-business exhibition organised and managed by the Botswana Export Development and Investment Authority (BEDIA) on behalf of the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
One of its main objectives is to provide exhibitors and visitors the opportunity to actively promote their businesses. Exhibitors get to network with targeted stakeholders within their stated areas of interest and reap the benefits associated with participation in the expo.
This year's edition, which marks the third, is multi-sectoral in nature and features agribusiness, ICT, mining, tourism and leather products, among others.As is customary, some of the value- added services on offer include an investment forum and buyer-seller meetings and workshops running concurrent to the exhibition.
The show started on Wednesday and ends on Saturday.
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