NDB small stock expo next week

Tshepo Kehimile
NDB CEO: Lorato Morapedi

National Development Bank (NDB) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Lorato Morapedi says the first ever NDB Small Stock Expo will be held on Saturday 12 December at the Stockmen’s Choice Farms in Tlokweng.

Speaking at the event’s official launch last Thursday, Morapedi gave a brief background of NDB.

She revealed the bank was established in 1963 and is in fact the oldest state-owned enterprise in Botswana.

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“We tasked ourselves with assisting all sectors of the economy through the years. However, we decided to zero into Agriculture because we understood that feeding the nation is a basic requirement for any economy to develop,” stated Morapedi.

Shedding light on NDB’s current three-year Letsema strategy, the CEO said, “It aims to position NDB as the agricultural go-to bank, and a bank that contributes to the development of the economy.

“In addition, within that strategy we decided to focus and challenge ourselves with food security, employment creation and Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise Sectors (SMMEs) development.”

She further explained that such efforts are designed to help diversify the economy amid an over-reliance on diamonds, which Morapedi noted ‘could deplete at any point if not supplemented’.

For his part, the Small Stock Expo organiser, local farmer, Aobakwe Gofamodimo outlined how the proceedings on the day will work.

“We are going to have the VIP section where all the government senior officials will be there. There will be exhibition of small stock by 10 invited local farmers and there will be a virtual auction at the end of the small stock expo.

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“Furthermore, it will be first come first serve. When we reach a certain number, because of Covid-19 regulations we will close off the doors and start monitoring the number of people going in and out,” he said.

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