SEZA, BNPC partnership aims to enhance competitiveness
staff writer | Tuesday July 7, 2026 11:20
Last week a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed marking a step toward strengthening collaboration between the two institutions, leveraging their complementary mandates to support sustainable economic growth, investment attraction and enterprise development. Officials said the partnership aims to enhance productivity, operational efficiency, and competitiveness within Botswana’s Special Economic Zones (SEZs). SEZA acting CEO, Tapiwa Masie, said the partnership will enable SEZA to help investors who establish in the country’s special economic zones to come up with world-class productivity and competitiveness standards that enable to increase competitiveness globally. “We are elated about this MoU which we believe will bring exceptional results not only for SEZA but also for other entities that fall within the SEZA mandate,' she said at the MoU signing event.
According to Masie, SEZA will identify other entities and investors that will benefit from the services available through BNPC, to ensure they increase their output in the most efficient manner. For her part, BNPC Executive Director, Matlho Seitshiro revealed that BNPC exists for the improvement of national productivity and competitiveness. 'We believe in strategic partnerships and collaborations so that we can bring investors in the country, create jobs and improve competitiveness of the companies that set up in Special Economic Zones and elsewhere in the country,” she said. Seitshiro added that the partnership with SEZA is divinely curated and that BNPC hopes to bring more state-owned entities to build one common goal of not only bringing in investors but also keeping them in the country. Under the terms of the MoU, BNPC will provide technical support to SEZ enterprises through productivity improvement initiatives, including advocacy, consultancy, research, and training.
This will also include assessing productivity performance, identifying operational and organisational gaps, and recommending actionable solutions. In turn, SEZA will facilitate the onboarding of SEZ companies into BNPC’s Technical Support Programme, provide relevant information, and support engagement between participating enterprises and BNPC. Additionally, the partnership will also see both institutions jointly organising knowledge-sharing events, conducting studies, and collaborating on capacity-building initiatives in areas such as leadership, performance management, monitoring and evaluation, and quality management. The MoU will remain in force for an initial period of five years and is expected to contribute significantly to improving efficiency, strengthening competitiveness, and fostering innovation within Botswana’s SEZ ecosystem.
This collaboration aligns with national priorities to diversify the economy, enhance exports, and create sustainable employment opportunities. SEZA, established under the Special Economic Zones Act of 2015, is mandated to coordinate and facilitate the development of Special Economic Zones, promote investment, and create employment opportunities. On the other hand, BNPC, established under the Botswana National Productivity Centre Act of 1993, is tasked with improving productivity across all sectors of the economy through advisory, consultancy, research, and training services.