The Botswana Exporters and Manufacturers Association (BEMA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the BaMangwato tribal leadership to boost productivity and drive grassroots wealth creation across all the seven districts.
According to BEMA Chairperson Mantlha Sankoloba, the initiative will be used as a pilot model to be rolled out to other tribal territories, should it succeed.
“The agreement is intended to unlock economic opportunities across all seven BaMangwato districts by supporting community-owned enterprises,” Sankoloba said. “The focus areas include agro-processing, leather processing and manufacturing, heritage and cultural products, tourism, indigenous products, renewable energy, creative industries, wildlife economy and other value-addition and export-oriented businesses. It also includes services such as skills development, business incubation, investment facilitation, market access and export promotion.”
Sankoloba stated that the benefits are complimentary as there will be benefits for the parties to the MOU.
“For the BaMangwato community, the partnership aims to create jobs, develop sustainable enterprises, attract investment, strengthen local skills and ensure that economic benefits reach all seven districts. For BEMA, the role is to provide technical expertise, enterprise development, manufacturing support, market linkages, export facilitation and investment mobilisation while advancing inclusive industrialisation and community wealth creation,” she said.
Sankoloba emphasised that a successful rollout could pave the way for a nationwide replication strategy, carefully customising each programme to fit the unique resources, culture and economic opportunities of each community.
