EU-Botswana Business Forum 2023 is the largest and most influential joint Botswana – European Union event on doing business and investing in Botswana. The high-level, held over two-days (11-12 October 2023), offered a unique platform to explore new investment and trade opportunities for captains of industries, investors, private sector organisations, chambers of commerce, public institutions, policymakers, and financial institutions.
Over 400 European and Botswana investors and enterprises participated in Business-to-Business sessions, roundtables and informative workshops covering high level topics: Life sciences, health and pharmaceutical, Financial and business services, Manufacturing including automobile and e-mobility , ICT and innovation, and Mineral Beneficiation.
EU Africa RISE was part of the organizing committee, facilitated and/or provided content for several of the event topics: Life sciences, health and pharmaceutical sector, ICT and innovation. The Plenary session on the Global Gateway has had Africa RISE lead expert on strategic corridors as presenter and panellist. The Facility provided also an expert on circular economy in mining also for the Mine-To-Market session.
Key highlights on Africa RISE presence:
• Day 1: Emerging the Mine-To-Market value chain in Botswana (panellist Patience Mpofu, Africa RISE expert)
• Day 2: Presentation of findings of the study on Botswana’s pharmaceutical industry (presenter Ricardo Godinez, Africa RISE expert)
• Day 2: Panel: Creating the way forward for Botswana’s pharmaceutical industry (moderator RinoMeyer, Africa RISE expert)
• Day 2: Presentation of findings of the study on Botswana’s Digital and ICT sectors (presenter PabloQuiles, Africa RISE expert)
• Day 2 Panel: Botswana going digital: where are the opportunities? (moderator Pablo Quiles, Africa RISE expert)
• Day 2 Plenary: Global Gateway - EU support to sustainable connectivity in partner countries in Southern Africa. (panellist Barbara Mommen, expert Africa Rise).
Africa RISE is currently finalising a summary briefing of the EBBF event and wiill share it on its website and through social media.
Key highlights from the Africa RISE led sessions
From the pharmaceuticals session
• Botswana has an emerging pharmaceutical industry. After COVID-19, the country understood the urgency to develop a national strategy to attract investment and develop capacity to manufacture its own medicines due to its over-reliance on imports.
• In order to develop its pharmaceutical sector, Botswana can leverage its capacity and regional impact of its existing parastatal companies
• There are four investment opportunities that have been identified that are currently further looked into in terms of feasibility:
o Conventional medicines: the main dosage form to focus on could be tablets.
o Biopharmaceutical sector: There is potential expansion from veterinary medicines into human vaccines.
o Raw materials: Spin off companies lead by Botswana Ash Pty Ltd (BOTASH) could develop pharmaceutical grade raw materials including pharmaceutical grade salt.
o Services: Botswana Medicines Regulatory Authority (BOMRA) could become a regulatory centre of excellence for the region or Africa…
(read more about the development of the potential for the pharmaceutical sector in botswana and region in the upcoming EBBF summary briefing).
From the ICT session
• The ICT sector in Botswana is the 3rd most advanced across the SADC region, following South Africa and Mauritius.
• There are five key elements to consider when building a vibrant ICT sector: a robust ICT infrastructure, innovation, attractive business environment, successful public-private partnerships and leveraging the strengths of the sector. Whilst the country has a relatively strong ICT infrastructure, progress in the sector is constrained by the high cost of the service, bureaucracy , and the high competition coming from South Africa, amongst others.
• The Botswana government has also supported this sector by developing special economic zones such as the Gaborone commerce park.
• Five areas of investment opportunities for the ICT industry have been identified that are currently further looked into in terms of feasibility:
o Data centers,
o Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)
o Cloud computing.
o Web design,
o E-commerce application.
(read more about the development of the potential for the ICT sector in botswana and region in the upcoming EBBF summary briefing).
On Strategic corridors Global Gateway plenarysession
• Global Gateway focuses on 5 priority investment areas: Digital, Climate and Energy, Transport, Health, Education and Research. Under Transport, and in line with the regional and continental frameworks, Global Gateway aims to integrate by 2030 the African and European multimodal networks and tailor these networks to the economic potential of an African Continental Free Trade Area. Eleven strategic corridors aligned with the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA PAP 2) have been identified for an enhanced and greener EU-Africa connectivity.
• Two of the eleven strategic corridors are included in the Africa RISE study:
o Strategic Corridor 9 East West Corridor – Maputo to Walvis Bay
o Strategic Corridor 10 North South Corridor – Durban to Lubumbashi.
• The study identified a number of soft and hard infrastructure measures.
• “Through the Global Gateway strategy there will be very transformative projects for Botswana and for the whole region”, Myriam Farren, Deputy Director General, International partnerships European Commission
(read more about the work of Africa RISE on Strategic corridors in the upcoming EBBF summary briefing).
From the Mine to Markets session
o The conference highlighted the moral and global necessity of sustainable mining operations and the need for more women in mining not just as employees but owning the mines!
o “The conference left me inspired and hopeful for the first movers in Botswana’s mining sector, who stand to gain significantly in this promising landscape. Engaging in dialogue with global thought leaders under the theme “Emerging The Mine-To-MarketValue Chain,” I shared my insights on sustainability, ESG, and circularity within the mining sector. Botswana’s untapped circular mining opportunitiespresent a chance to curtail GHG emissions, therebybolstering ESG credentials for the long haul”.Patience Mpofu, Africa RISE expert circulareconomy in mining
(read more about the session on Mine to Markets in the upcoming EBBF summary briefing).
