E-tourism launches marketing platform for SMMEs
Keikantse Lesemela | Thursday October 30, 2014 16:14
During the launch on Monday, E-tourism Chief Executive Officer, David Kepaletswe, said the multimedia tool would be used to display what Botswana has to offer, and connect users with websites and other resources for SMMEs. “Through this tool anybody can access information on different businesses worldwide. It connects the user with different services and products at the click of a button,” he said.
Kepaletswe noted that the concept would use an innovative and cutting edge approach to give Batswana the technological means for marketing and selling their products and services online. “We realised that it was difficult for locals to sell Botswana products and services globally because there were no platforms for them to advertise what they had to offer to people outside Botswana,” he said.
The tool is available in CD-Rom, flash disk and mobile application. Also present at the launch was former Vice President, Ponatshego Kedikilwe, who said the tool would benefit public and private sector programmes designed to improve Botswana’s quality of life.
“The e-guide plays a pivotal role in showcasing Botswana as a country with abundant opportunities for investment and conducting business. This is an important milestone towards government’s attainment of the national information and communication technology,” he said.
Kedikilwe further noted that the e-guide would provide exposure to SMMEs and companies on an international scale as part of Botswana’s story.
“This is against the backdrop of expensive marketing and advertising especially from SMMEs. Considerable SMMEs around the country lack market access because they cannot afford to advertise their products,” he said.
Kedikilwe also said it was important to avail e-guide locally and internationally through strategic partnerships with other stakeholders. He noted that it was imperative to address the concept of future plans and aspirations pertaining to E-guide. He added that Botswana was a good investment destination considering that Wall Street and Heritage Foundation had rated it the second free economy in Sub-Saharan Africa, and 27th out of 186 global countries.
“We have to exploit the technological environs in order to make our voices heard, in order to place Botswana on the world map. The e-guide should make worldwide users aspire to invest, do business in and visit Botswana,” said Kedikilwe.
According to internetworldstats.com, there are currently over 2.8 billion Internet users worldwide. This represents a quarter of people around the world with Asia, Europe and North America leading in access to Internet.