FRANCISTOWN POTENTIAL UNTAPPED-BTCL BOSS Goitsemodimo Williams reporting for BOPA Botswana Telecommunications Corporation Limited (BTCL) chief executive officer, Mr Paul Taylor has urged investors and entrepreneurs to identify opportunities and re-invent the second city, which is the regional centre and gateway to the north. Officiating during the Botswana Confederation of Commerce Industry and Manpower (BOCCIM) Northern Trade Fair in Francistown on Friday, May 23 Mr Taylor said the quest to develop and transform the city is a journey that must be undertaken by all concerned stakeholders. He highlighted that the city, with a population of close to 100 000 residents has a number of dams within a 200 kilometres radius and mines that operate within its vicinity. The BTCL CEO said at the same time, the Francistown boasts of ample freehold and state land, which if serviced can provide facilities for companies to set up and develop the city into a more vibrant economic centre. Mr Taylor cautioned that time was running out, more especially that there is speculation that Tati Nickel mine may suspend its operations in the near future owing to a drop in metal prices. The closure, he said, could have serious consequences for the city, which is already experiencing a high unemployment rate. “We however hope that mine management will mitigate, devise and implement a turnaround strategy to keep the operation running and save jobs,” he said. Mr Taylor emphasised that there was need to diversify the local economy to reduce reliance on single or a handful of employers. In addition, he pointed out that despite opportunities and abundant resources seen in the vicinity of the city, there is still a concern that the city is not growing economically at the desired rate. He revealed that a recent report compiled by Statistics Botswana in 2013 indicates that during the period, Francistown had 30 078 people in paid employment, 1 338 owning businesses with employees while 3 843 had businesses without employees and a total of about 4 983 were in unpaid family work together with 373 who worked in own lands or cattle posts. Furthermore, Mr Taylor outlined that there were however some challenges which BOCCIM has identified as hindering business development in the city. He said challenges such as delays in land servicing, lengthy processing of permits for businesses and ineffective environmental and waste management strategies. Furthermore, he added that congested and inaccessible road network, congestion of services within the Central Business District, as well as poor infrastructure and maintenance were also some factors which hindered business development in the area. He therefore noted that it was imperative to encourage all stakeholders to take advantage of the maximum opportunities that arise. The theme for this year fair was Investment: My opportunity to play a role in an evolving global economy. Tapping into unlimited opportunities.
Posted on: Mon, 26 May 2014 07:28:37 +0000
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