Botswana
SMALL BUSINESS EXPLORATORY TRADE
AND INVESTMENT MISSION PLANNED FOR BOTSWANA OCTOBER 17-26,
2004 About Botswana Botswana is approximately
231,800 square miles, roughly the same size as Texas in the
United States and its terrain varies from the arid Kalahari
Desert to the lush forest of the Okavango Delta to the dry
savannah of the Limpopo Valley. Botswana is constantly in
need of rain, hence the nation's popular motto "Pula" or
rain. The population of Botswana is approximately 1.5
million inhabitants who are primarily Tswana (80%) and speak
various dialects of the Sotho language, Setswana with the
rest of the indigenous population made up of Herero,
Mbukushu, Subia ethnic groups as well as a few Europeans.
The Capital of Botswana is Gaborone and English and Setswana
are the official languages. About one-half of the people are
Christians and the rest profess traditional ethnic
beliefs. Economic Growth Mineral Wealth Botswana's government has
indicated that with the exception of Debswana (diamond
mines) and the Diamond Valuing Agency, all parastatals will
be privatized. State enterprises such as electricity,
telecommunications, transportation, water, real estate,
cattle and mining sectors have all been "commercialized"
with the elimination of government subsidies to enterprises
operated as private businesses with the state as a
shareholder. In most instances, Botswana citizens are given
first rights to purchasing state enterprises. Foreign direct
investment (FDI) forms a major portion of overseas capital
flows into Botswana and, most recently, significant foreign
investment has also gone into the development of
infrastructure to include light manufacturing, financial
services and tourism. The Botswana Development Corporation
seeks out suitable partners for specific projects and the
National Development Bank of Botswana offers long-term
loans. The Botswana Export Development and Investment Agency
(BEDIA) assist potential investors through all of the
preliminary stages and provides ongoing support services,
such as purchasing or leasing of property, obtaining work
and residence permits, licenses and grants. For more
information about BEDIA please visit their website at
www.bedia.co.bw. The Participation Fee for
the Exploratory Small Business Trade and Investment Mission
to Botswana is $5,999.00 which includes roundtrip airfare on
South African Airways (economy class); six nights deluxe
hotel accommodations (based on bed and breakfast), all other
meals and activities as listed in the SBA Program (to
include meetings with government officials, one-on-one
business meetings and site inspections of business
facilities) and the Host Country Activities and Events.
Passport and VISA processing fees are not included, but can
be arranged. Wildlife
Conservation Venue International
Professionals, Inc. (VIP) is an African-American owned,
full-service travel and tourism company based in the
Washington Metropolitan Area specializing in travel and
tourism destinations to the Continent of Africa. For more
information about VIP or to inquire about how your company
may participate in the SBA's Small Business Exploratory
Trade and Investment Mission to Botswana - October 17-26,
2004, please contact VIP at 1-877-TO-VENUE [TOLL
FREE], or (301) 856-9188 [VOICE], or (301)
868-2218 [FAX], or e-mail at
vipinc@erols.com.
Also, visit VIP's website at www.venuetravel.com. NOTE: All Dates and Prices
Are Subject To Change Based On Number Of
Participants.
Botswana
photos
Chobe
Safari Lodge
Economic
Diversification
San
Bushmen
San
photos
Trade
Mission
Washington,
D.C.: Venue International Professionals, Inc. (VIP) is
pleased to announce that the Small Business Administration's
(SBA) Office of International Trade will be conducting an
Exploratory Trade and Investment Mission to Botswana from
October 17-26, 2004. This international trade event has been
uniquely designed to introduce American small and
minority-owned businesses that are interested in "Doing
Business in Africa" with their counterparts in Botswana. The
SBA is collaborating on this noteworthy effort in support of
the Constituency for Africa's (CFA) "African Trade and
Investment Policy (ATRIP) Program" that was successfully
launched in 2002 by a grant from the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID). CFA's ATRIP program calls
for the design and implementation of an Export Trade
Assistance Partnership (ETAP) Program that will enhance the
capacity of American small and minority-owned companies to
successfully do business in Africa. ETAP, which is a
program, started by the SBA in the early 1990s offers
participants the opportunity to receive ongoing training and
technical assistance, mentoring, and counseling in
preparation for an international trade-related event in
Africa.
The Republic of Botswana, which was known as Bechuanaland
during its colonial era, proclaimed its independence from
England on September 30, 1966. The current President of
Botswana is H.E. Festus G. Mogae who was democratically
elected as the nation's head of state in 1998. Botswana has
benefited since its independence from outstanding political
leadership, transparency and a stable democracy which makes
it a very safe and secure African nation for trade and
investment. Botswana is a landlocked nation that is
geographically situated in Southern Africa and is bordered
on the north by Angola and Zambia, on the east by the
Zimbabwe, on the south by South Africa and on the west by
Namibia.
Once one of the world's poorest countries, Botswana is
credited by the World Bank, as the country with the greatest
rate of economic growth from 1966-1997, averaging an annual
rate of 9.2%, well ahead of South Korea at 7.3% and China at
6.7%. It has since settled down to a more modest but
respectable 5%. Today, an average per capita GDP of $3,100
makes it one of the wealthiest nations on the African
continent and places it in the World Bank's upper-middle
income category. Botswana is also the only African country
to have obtained sovereign investment grade rating from the
Economist Intelligence Unit and was also rated as the number
one performer in Africa by the United Nations in 2003. This
"miracle" has been attained through judicious utilization of
limited resources, good governance and sound macro-economic
policies. HIV/AIDS, however, presents a major threat to the
overall sustainability of Botswana's economy with some
estimates putting the infection rate at 36% - the highest in
the world.
The discovery of "industrial use" diamonds in 1971 enabled
Botswana to utilize its mineral wealth to develop human
resources and infrastructure, communications facilities and
utilities. Diamonds account for 80% of total export earnings
with cattle farming as a viable industry constituting 80% of
the agricultural income. The Government of Botswana realizes
that it must be able to diversify its economy and move away
from a dependence on minerals in order to successfully
compete in the global marketplace. As a result, a developing
manufacturing sector is emerging which encompasses motor
vehicle assembly, pharmaceuticals, leather and textiles,
food processing and furniture. Due to the very small size of
its domestic market, most of these industries are
export-oriented. Botswana's largest export market is the
European Union with South Africa as the largest trading
partner on the African continent.
In conjunction with the Small Business Exploratory Trade and
Investment Mission to Botswana, participants will have an
opportunity to enjoy a 3 day/2 night Post-Safari Tour of the
spectacular Chobe National Park in the northernmost region
of Botswana. This will also offer the participants the
opportunity to investigate another major revenue generator
of Botswana, the tourism industry sector. Botswana is home
to many of the world's most famous game parks as well as the
world's largest concentration of elephants. Botswana's
fantastic abundance of natural wildlife is considered a
prized environmental asset and is protected by an aggressive
conservation strategy. Moreover, the SBA is also considering
including an additional small business trade and investment
trip to Lusaka, Zambia and Johannesburg, South Africa in
conjunction with the Gaborone, Botswana Program.