He said air travel is currently restricted because the state-owned Air Botswana has a monopoly. This makes air travel a bit expensive in the country. He suggested that air travel should be liberalised to adding more value to the economy. He pointed out that the expensive air travel fares affects the tourism sector.
He pointed out that the lengthy process of land allocation and issuance of work permits are a problem to potential investors. He called on the government to speed up the processes to encourage growth.
Jefferis indicated that generally, Botswana is a high cost economy and there is a need to improve productivity in both the private and public sectors. This, he said, will help in rendering Botswana competitive. He said the South African economy is growing faster than the Botswana economy.
“They have entertained some reforms that continue to help the economy to grow reasonably.”
He urged the Botswana government to focus on a number of sectors to improve the economic situation. He stressed that the economy was changing and many sectors like construction are not doing well. He however, pointed out that there are many other opportunities. “The private sector should find those opportunities. As the economy changes, there are opportunities that will emerge. I am hopeful that things will change in the next six months or so.”
