GCC forms commercial company, eyes big projects
| Friday April 25, 2014 12:22
Gaborone mayor, Haskins Nkaigwa has said that already, the new company has a number of commercial ventures lined-up. These include a 50-storey diamond-shaped building in the Central Business District (CDB) and the construction of an abattoir in Gaborone. “We are also looking at introducing a parking management system in Gaborone mall which would mean motorists paying for parking space,” he said.
The formation of the company comes after a Ministry of Local Government directive instructing local authorities to embark on revenue generating initiatives.
In the new dispensation, GCC plans to build low cost rental houses through a Public Private Partnership (PPP); and construction of a shopping complex near the Civic Centre at the Main Mall. “The complex would comprise council chambers and commercial offices,” said Nkaigwa. Other envisaged projects include outsourcing public parks to the private sector and developing an underground tunnel between the Civic Centre and Parliament as tourist attractions.
GCC is working with Swedish partners on the feasibility of extracting glass from landfills and developing it into a lucrative product.
As local authorities turn to money-spinning ventures, the Southern District Council has taken the lead by leasing a prime piece of land in Kanye to a private company to put up a shopping complex. Mongala Mall, which was built through the PPP model, was recently opened in Kanye.