Gaborone — Local producers need support from Batswana for them to survive the highly competitive market, the acting director for the Department of Industrial Affairs in the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI), Ms Ruth Baoki has said.
Giving an update on the restriction of importation of certain products in Gaborone on Monday, Ms Baoki said the move was meant to stimulate entrepreneurial endeavours and job creation in the market.
Importation has been restricted for goods such as sugar, water and baked products, something which Ms Baoki said would help in the development of micro, small, medium and large enterprises producing such goods.
She thus called upon Batswana to honour local production by buying Botswana manufactured products.
Ms Baoki noted that a good number of local products were recognised for their quality such as water, bread, and face masks, adding that there had been consistency in standards requirements.
She said just like any other transition regarding services reserved for Batswana, there was bound to be some challenges, which she said they were working on.
"Industrialisation is a process, everything will eventually fall into place," she said.
She said Botswana's announcement on the restrictions of baked products in August 2020 signalled an increased localisation of trade in sub-Saharan Africa, an economic protectionist trend that grew during the coronavirus pandemic.
Ms Baoki however, noted that there were still certain chain stores that did not comply.
To address this, she said they were working with relevant authorities such as BURS and would intensify spot-checking and monitoring for compliance.
Source : BOPA
