A high-level South Africa-Botswana Business Roundtable takes place in Gaborone on Thursday, with President Cyril Ramaphosa expected to lead his country’s delegation to the gathering of businesses, the presidency said on Wednesday.
The roundtable takes place against a backdrop of the fifth session of the South Africa-Botswana Bi-National Commission that took place in Pretoria in April this year, according to Ramaphosa’s office.
“The two neighbours are this year marking 28 years of diplomatic and bilateral cooperation,” the presidency said.
This cooperation “spans trade and investment, energy, agriculture, tourism, youth, sport, infrastructure development, culture, mining, defence, security, immigration, environmental conservation and management, transport as well as information and communication technologies,” the office said.
Host President Eric Mokgweetsi Masisi is also expected to attend the roundtable where government and business leaders from both countries would identify a package of concrete measures to create a conducive environment to strengthen business-to-business linkages, it said.
Some 22 South African businesses from a wide range of sectors will form part of the trade exposition of businesses operating in both countries at the Gaborone International Convention Centre, the presidency said.
South Africa is Botswana’s number one source of imports, and is ranked as Pretoria’s seventh largest export market — with exports to Gaborone reaching nearly US$5 billion in 2021, the high office said.
Exports to Botswana grew by 2.53% or slightly less than US$1 billion in the past five years, it added.
NM/jn/APA