Palapye: High rentals choke youth businesses

24 October, 2007 in Botswana, Business, Palapye, Palapye business

source: BOPA
24 October, 2007

PALAPYE – Though some youths have benefited from the governments youth grant, they are frustrated by sky-rocketing office rentals that result in their businesses failing to flourish, as anticipated.

One of the youth grant beneficiary, Ms Seteng Ntesang of Mateisi Textiles in Palapye, told the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Maj. Gen. Moeng Pheto that her business was doing well but cited exorbitant rentals as her undoing.

Minister Pheto had embarked on a tour of the youth projects on Monday. Ms Ntesang said she would vacate the premises she has been operating from at the beginning of November because her landlord has doubled the monthly rental from P300 to P600.

I will not be able to pay that kind of money she is charging because this business is relatively new and it is still taking off the ground, she said.

She was however confident that the enterprise, which kicked off with a P50 000 grant would be a success should she find a proper place to operate from.

Right now I am struggling with office space otherwise I can make a profit of P5 000 in a good month. The business deals with [continue reading]

PPC to invest R6,5m in Botswana expansion project

24 October, 2007 in Botswana, Business

source: Engineering News
By: Matthew Hill
Published: 24 Oct 07 – 10:25

Subsidiary of South Africa’s biggest cement producer, PPC Botswana, will spend R6,5-million on an expansion to help cope with rising demand, it said on Tuesday.

The expansion included palletising equipment, which would automatically stack bagged cement onto portable platforms.

“Demand for PPC’s general all-purpose cement Botcem, a brand manufactured exclusively in Botswana, has soared from a [continue reading]

Zimbabwean companies to operate in Botswana

24 October, 2007 in Botswana, Business

source: BOPA
24 October, 2007

GABORONE – Two Zimbabwean companies, Mini Castings and Plus Five Pharmaceuticals that participated at Global Expo Botswana have decided to do business in Botswana.

The two companies originate from Bulawayo. Mini Castings is a jewellery company that specialises in sterling silver while Plus Five Pharmaceuticals sells skin care products and pharmaceutical products.

Speaking in an interview at the Expo Mini Castings Director, Ms Kim Williams, said they had been getting overwhelming requests from people visiting their stall for their company to set up in Botswana.

Both fellow local exhibitors and the general public are very interested in seeing Mini Castings in Botswana, she said. Mr Richard Mayengano, the manager of Mini Castings who was also present at the stall, states that they have started the process of registering in Botswana.

We could not resist after such a large number of people requested and suggested that we set up businesses here, he said.

Mr Mayengano said it was his companys first time at the Global Expo. He said he was glad to [continue reading]

Scrap miners risk lives at BCL dumps

24 October, 2007 in Botswana

source: BOPA
24 October, 2007

SELEBI-PHIKWE – Some Zimbabweans and Batswana endanger their lives searching for scrap metal at the BCL mine dumping site.

Two weeks ago, one person died as the tunnel they had dug under the ruble collapsed and buried him. However, they continue to dig in search of copper and other scrap metal to sell as the prices are high.

The site where BCL dumps rock boulders and waste from the mine smelter plant is always a hive of activity with people burrowing tunnels.

According to self-style leaders of the groups, Mr James Ncube representing Zimbabweans and Mr Moladelo Tshethana representing Batswana, about 400 people make a living by selling scrap metal from the dumping site.

The BCL have tried to chase us from the site but because of hunger, the knowledge that there is scrap metal under the ruble, forces us to [continue reading]

Africa: Nobody is Pushing Free Trade, EU Chiefs Urge

24 October, 2007 in Africa

source: allAfrica
New Vision (Kampala)

COLUMN
23 October 2007
Posted to the web 24 October 2007

Peter Mandelson And Louis Michel
Kampala

NO question in Europe’s trade and development policy is more pressing or more politically-sensitive than how we can use trade to help African, Caribbean and Pacific countries build stronger economies and break their dependence on trade preferences and basic commodity trade.

The key is to give greater confidence and more opportunities to local businesses, attract new investment and build strong regional markets.

These will in turn strengthen their capacity to sell their goods in a global market.

The Economic Partnership Agreements that the EU is currently negotiating with the six African Caribbean and Pacific regions are designed to help do all these things.

They will take a trading relationship based on dependency and turn it into one based on economic diversification and growing economies.

But there are some misconceptions about [continue reading]

US college helps police set up DNA data base

24 October, 2007 in Botswana

source: BOPA
24 October, 2007

GABORONE- The Sam Houston University College of Criminal Justice in the United States has agreed to help the the Botswana Police Service establish a national DNA database, a species identification system, an illicit drug detection system in body fluids, training in toxicology and crime scene reconstruction.

A press release from the Botswana Police Service says Commissioner Thebeyame Tsimako recently visited the university to operationalise a memorandum of understanding signed between the two institutions in 2006.

The president of the university, which is in Houston, Texas, assured Mr Tsimako that it would help with training to promote human resource development and capacity building.

The memorandum of understanding is for the provision of technical assistance in forensic science, law enforcement training, a graduate exchange programme and the sponsoring of police officers.

According to the press release, the university has agreed to [continue reading]

Modibedi beats dependency syndrome

24 October, 2007 in Botswana, Business

source: BOPA
24 October, 2007

GOOD HOPE – For many years, Botswana relied on the outside market for supply of vegetables. However, things have began to change according to the current statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture that shows a decline of 10 per cent on import of vegetables from neighbouring countries.

Seventy per cent of vegetable requirement is from South Africa compared to 80 per cent recorded in the previous years.

Thanks to the likes of Mr Nathaniel Modibedi, a 40 -old Hebron-based horticulturalist whose determination is to beat the dependency syndrome by satisfying the market with fresh vegetable produce.

Mr Modibedi is one of the few Batswana trying to provide what is not available in the local market by growing vegetables. Mod Farm, is located not very far from the main gravel road that passes through the village and cannot be missed.

Just one look at it, you are greeted by the greenery scene and as you get closer, you will be met by a variety of vegetables — lettuce, cabbage, rape, spinach, beetroots and cabbage — on a more than five hectare piece of land.

Another eight hectares of land is being de-bushed for [continue reading]

SA: Cheap Information Communication Technology vital for growth: Erwin

24 October, 2007 in South Africa, Technology

source: SouthAfrica.info
David Masango

24 October 2007

The information communication technology (ICT) sector is an important contributor to the growth and development of the South Africa’s economy, but the high cost of broadband and limited access thereof has hampered the country’s participation in the global economy, Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin has said.

Addressing local businesspeople at the Ugu District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday, about ICT and infrastructure development, he added that the sector was also an important part of the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (Asgi-SA) due to its potential for creating jobs.

The Ugu district is situated 20km south of Durban. It stretches from Scottburgh in the north to Port Edward in the south and 150km inland.

However, he said that a study undertaken by the government in 2005 found that [continue reading]

Packaging of cultural tourism sites crucial

24 October, 2007 in Botswana, Palapye

source: BOPA
24 October, 2007

SEROWE – The Department of National Museum and Art Gallery is working on the packaging of cultural tourism sites, the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Maj. Gen. Moeng Pheto has said.

He said at the end of a tour of the Old Palapye Heritage Site at Malaka on Monday that if packaged, the place would make sense to tourists.

The departments intention is to look at about 10 heritage sites to package in a year, he said highlighting the need to restore such historical places.

This place has a history behind it and as such it should be restored to its origin because right now it is losing a lot of value attached to it.

The Old Palapye Site was the capital of Bangwato for 13 years from 1889 when they moved from Shoshong until 1902 when they relocated again to Serowe during Khama IIIs reign.

The Director of National Museum and Art Galley, Mr Gaogakwe Phorano, stressed the need to [continue reading]

Africa: U.S. Companies Urged to Invest in Continent’s Infrastructure

24 October, 2007 in Africa

source: allAfrica
United States Department of State (Washington, DC)

23 October 2007
Posted to the web 24 October 2007

Washington, DC

U.S. and African business leaders and officials are encouraging U.S. companies to take a bolder approach to investment opportunities created by rapid economic growth in Africa.

At an October conference on infrastructure organized by the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA), they urged U.S. companies not to wait for an ideal business climate but to consider investing now in up-and-coming sub-Saharan countries.

With lower inflation rates, improved budgets and economic policies, and greater political stability, sub-Saharan nations have a better chance than ever to sustain growth, according to an October report by the International Monetary Fund.

African leaders are particularly keen on foreign investment in infrastructure because their countries cannot afford to develop, modernize or maintain roads, ports, airports, electricity grids and power stations. The needs are great, experts say, because infrastructure in [continue reading]

CEDA faces Bankruptcy

24 October, 2007 in Botswana

source: Mmegi

BRIAN BENZA
STAFF WRITER

Poor loan repayments and high operational costs are cripling CEDA at such a rate that the citizen empowerment driver is likely to go to the wall before the New Year. This grim picture is painted by the chairman of the Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA), David Magang, in his annual report for 2006/2007 in which the small business sector comes in for special assessment.

Magang says it is regrettable that government has no clear-cut policy on the development of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) which are reeling from heavy losses resulting from low sales, as they cannot compete with established brands, making it very difficult for them to get a foothold in the market.

“Some of the financed enterprises had targeted government procurement and have found it difficult to [continue reading]

EU and African MPs agree to invite Mugabe to Portugal Summit

24 October, 2007 in Zimbabwe

source: SW Radio Africa

By Tererai Karimakwenda
23 October 2007

The controversial issue of whether Robert Mugabe should be invited to the European Union-Africa Heads of State Summit in Lisbon Portugal in December has surfaced again. A delegation of EU MPs reportedly visited the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) in South Africa last Friday, and after meeting to discuss the issue agreed it was better to invite Mugabe and engage him on the crisis in Zimbabwe, rather than snub him altogether.

The EU delegation was headed by Michael Gahler and PAP was represented by legislator Marwick Khumalo. At a joint press conference Friday they revealed that EU-Africa MPs will be meeting a day ahead of the heads of state summit in December, and hoped to influence the leaders to meet Mugabe and offer to discuss his problems.
The EU and PAP parliamentarians are the latest addition to a growing list who believe engagement is a better alternative to the decision made by the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who has insisted he will not attend the summit if Mugabe is invited. Brown said it was important to take a strong [continue reading]

Batswana buy first Choppies franchise

24 October, 2007 in Botswana, Business

source: Mmegi

LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI
CORRESPONDENT

Home-grown retail giants Choppies, which has been on a massive expansion drive, has awarded its first franchises to Batswana.

A company official says the franchises were awarded to Batswana entrepreneurs in Shakawe, Mochudi, Bobonong, Mahalapye and Gantsi.

The group’s director of public relations, Ben Stegling, says Choppies initiated the franchises because they do not expect Batswana to be spectators but players in the growth of the company.

The buying of the franchises was facilitated by “generous and expeditious assistance” of the Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA).

“We wish to thank Batswana for [continue reading]

Don`t Get Caught Up in Internet Job Scams

24 October, 2007 in Botswana

source: allAfrica
The Voice (Francistown)

23 October 2007
Posted to the web 23 October 2007

Francistown

The more the graduates, the higher the unemployment rate, and the worst thing is, chances are that the unemployed may be vulnerable to genuine website job scams.

MISA (Media Institute for southern Africa) award winning Voice journalist, Chedza Simon, exposes a website job scam, made up of crooks masquerading as United Nations (UN) training agents.

Just last week, the University of Botswana (UB) and the Botswana College of Agriculture (BCA), held a glittering graduation ceremony for more than 4000 graduates.

Their faces harbored a portrait of discontentment and desperation because they knew they cannot find jobs. As they wore their mortarboards, bowing in front of President Festus Mogae and the UB Chancellor, one could tell that it was just a formality.

Any advertisement, in print or electronic, is a source of hope for these graduates and any other unemployed citizen. The internet which is the most popular medium of [continue reading]