The public relations manager of BEDIA, Shandukane Mpoloka said although the majority of the Zimbabwe companies are in the textile sector, some deal with professional services such as information technology and accounting.
If the deals are finalised, the companies, which Mpoloka refused to name for fear of jeopardising ongoing talks, would pour in millions of pula in investments.
They will join a number of Zimbabwean firms that already have business interests in Botswana.
The companies that already have a presence in Botswana include Econet and finance houses such as Kingdom Financial Holdings, Barbican Holdings and African Banking Corporation.
Mpoloka said the prospective investors are now in the process of finalising details with authorities in Gaborone after a long period of negotiations.
More Zimbabwean companies are spreading their investments to countries in the Southern African Development Community region to hedge against the economic downturn in their country.
The envisaged investment in Botswana by the companies further highlights growing trade and investment relations between Zimbabwe and Botswana, a few months after reports that Watercare Tswana is in the process of establishing a joint venture company with Zimbabwean urban councils.
The joint venture firm, to be known as Watercare Zimbabwe would enable town and city councils in Zimbabwe to import water treatment chemicals from Botswana under flexible payment terms, thus circumventing persistent foreign currency shortages they are facing.
Mpoloka said Botswana offered a range of benefits to foreign investors, explaining that they enjoy free repatriation of profits, including dividends and capital, a competitive corporate tax regime of 15 percent for manufacturing companies and 25 percent for other sectors of the economy.
He added that the highest tax bracket for personal income deductible is 25 percent.
Another investment incentive offered is that products manufactured in Botswana enter the lucrative European Union market both duty and quota free in terms of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement.
Apart from the European markets, he said exporting companies in Botswana have ready access to the Southern African Customs Union market comprising South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland.
