Business Botswana Pays a Courtesy Call to the Ministry of State President
04 Mar, 2025
Business Botswana, Head of Policy and Research Mpaphi Tsholofelo, accompanied by Gaolatlhe Modungo, Security Sector Chairperson, Tonderai Tsara, Creative Arts and Media sector chairperson, yesterday paid a courtesy call to the Acting President and Minister of State President Mr. Moeti Mohwasa. The purpose of the meeting was to formally introduce the sector chairpersons and to highlight to the Minister key sectoral issues and the business's solutions as well as our commitment to working with the Government to achieve its intended goals. The visit also provided an opportunity for Business Botswana to explain the structure of the Sectoral Level Consultative Council (SLCC) to the Minister and the Management to facilitate upcoming engagements.
During the meeting, the sector chairpersons shared concerns and issues specific to their respective sectors. Mr. Modungo raised, amongst other, concerns about the tender rates within the private security sector, where businesses are expected to meet minimum wage standards despite the low tender rates offered, challenges posed by the lack of a regulatory framework in the form of an Act, and procurement-related challenges.
Additionally, Mr. Tsara highlighted the stagnant advertising rates in state-owned media, which have remained unchanged for several years, severely affecting the private media industry. He also mentioned the challenges posed by the Unified Public Information Centre (UPIC), a government-funded project that had not been implemented despite significant investment.
In response, Minister Mohwasa acknowledged the courtesy call and reiterated his support for continued collaboration between Business Botswana and the government to facilitate the ease of doing business. The Minister further noted that this visit was important as the Government also had critical issues it had observed requiring attention. These included payments and treatment of employees, lack of training of employees and the Government's provision of escort services to private security companies. In conclusion, the Minister requested the sectors to submit detailed proposals addressing the burning issues and suggesting possible solutions. These shall be matters that will be discussed further between the Ministry and Business Botswana next week.