Relocation expected to boost Botswana operations
Wilderness Holdings Limited, a prominent tourism, conservation, and luxury hospitality service provider, is set to expand its operations to Mauritius, marking a significant move that promises substantial growth for the company and its subsidiaries.
The company recently announced securing funding for its expansion plans and expressed confidence that Mauritius would attract more customers to its 40-year-old operations in Botswana and Okavango Wilderness Safaris, which have provided employment opportunities for over 1, 000 citizens.
In a press statement released in December, WHL expressed enthusiasm for its future plans and outlined its intention to make substantial investments in Botswana, both in the short and long term.
They emphasized the creation of growth opportunities for their employees, communities, and the overall economy.
The company expressed confidence in the people and leadership of Botswana to navigate the business successfully in the years ahead.
WHL assured that the Okavango Wilderness Safaris would remain the core and most significant part of the broader Wilderness group.
They outlined plans for further investment in Botswana, particularly in human resources.
“We take pride in the role played by OWS as the model for the Group’s growth, expanding into seven other African countries and the UK, essentially replicating our successful business model in those jurisdictions. This growth has provided scalability for our operations, allowing investments in sales, marketing technologies, and processes that would otherwise not have been feasible.”
The company is also exploring investment opportunities outside Africa, specifically in Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, accrediting the growth to OWS’s contributions.
Moreover, WHL disclosed securing funding from Stanbic Bank Botswana Limited, Standard Bank (Mauritius), and Standard Bank of South Africa Limited.
They highlighted a restructuring and the intention to migrate the holding company, Wilderness Holdings Limited (WHL), to Mauritius to facilitate raising additional capital, potentially through equity.
The move to Mauritius affects only WHL, assuring that OWS’s operations in Botswana remain unchanged, with no impact on staff, maintaining their valued workforce of at least 1, 050.
The commitment to Botswana, illustrated in a recent Impact Report, will persist and grow, with ongoing efforts to involve more local suppliers in their supply chain.
The company anticipates that the migration will lead to increased capital and bednight sales, ultimately resulting in more visitors to its Botswana operations, benefitting the company, economy, and Botswana’s people.
They anticipate a self-sustaining cycle of increased investment in the country as success continues.
Wilderness Holdings Limited delisted from the Botswana Stock Exchange in 2019. In terms of figures:
*Paid P672 million to the BW government from 2014-2023
*Paid P259 million in dividends to shareholders from 2014-2023
*Contributed 0.5 percent to government revenue in 2018
*Procured goods and services worth P1.6 billion locally from 2014-2023
