SEZA pushes for high-income economy status
Staff Writer | Friday August 7, 2020 14:08
SEZA chief executive officer (CEO), Lonely Mogara revealed in an interview this week that the authority’s new strategy seeks to diversify the economy and improve output in key sectors such as agro-business, financial services, applied ICT, health, manufacturing, energy and water management.
“By so doing, we believe SEZA will be able to tackle some of Botswana’s long-standing challenges; amongst them unemployment, poverty, high import bill as well as water and energy insecurity,” he said. Last year, SEZA launched key projects that were meant to spur infrastructure development at its portfolio of SEZs: Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (SSKIA), Fairgrounds, Lobatse, Pandamatenga, Palapye, Francistown, Selebi-Phikwe and Tuli Block.
These included a P100 million project at the flagship SSKIA, awarded to Bothakga Burrow for the detailed design, infrastructure development and construction of a 1.8-kilometre road.
The project also incorporated an urban design scheme for provision of underground services like water, fibre, power, lighting, smart city ducting and CCTV. SSKIA has been zoned as a mixed use SEZ with core activities being aviation, pharmaceuticals, engineering and electronic equipment, diamond beneficiation, specialist automotive and plastics injection moulding.
“We believe the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, medical devices and equipment will grow our health sector. Manufacturing in general drives industrialisation and innovation, thereby creating jobs, fighting poverty and reducing the import bill,” Mogara said.
The masterplan tenders for Gaborone Fairgrounds and Francistown SEZs are also underway. Francistown will focus on mineral beneficiation, freight and logistics while Fairgrounds is anticipated to be a financial services hub.
Local company, Gabana Architects Consortium has been awarded master plan tenders for the Lobatse and Selebi-Phikwe SEZs. Lobatse has been earmarked as a dairy and leather industry SEZ, while economic activities in Selebi-Phikwe will include medical services, agro-processing and metal beneficiation.
SEZA has targeted 40,000 hectares of land for allocation to commercial farmers in Pandamatenga.
The authority will also construct an additional 12 silos to remove storage capacity constraints at Botswana’s agricultural hub.
Pandamatenga will also benefit from the Zambezi Integrated Agro-Commercial Development Project, which will avail water from the Chobe/Zambezi basin for use in agriculture projects. Additionally, the Kazungula Bridge, as well as Mosetse-Kazungula and Mmamabula-Lephalale railway lines will provide alternative modes of transport for produce from Pandamatenga.
Through these agro-business projects, SEZA will be able to reduce Botswana’s high food import bill, which stood at P9 billion in 2019.
“We also want to improve water and energy security for domestic, industrial and agricultural use,” Mogara said.
The authority has also approached key organisations to act as Zone Management Companies at its various SEZs. Botswana Innovation Hub has been earmarked for SSKIA, SPEDU for Selebi-Phikwe and Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board for Pandamatenga.
“We have also identified the Local Enterprise Authority as a potential Zone Management Company for the Lobatse SEZ, where the leather park is being set up. Fairground Holdings will be the Zone Management Company for the Fairgrounds FinTech SEZ,” Mogara added.