Investors identified for Airport City
Pauline Dikuelo | Friday January 24, 2020 15:28
Briefing the media this week, SEZA’s acting CEO Thatayaone Ndzinge said they would approve investors within the next six months who will develop the first phase of Airport City situated in the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (SSKIA) zone.
“We are currently finalising the whole process so that these investors can start their projects in the next six months. The availed area for the first phase is the size of the CBD,” he said.
The identified investors are companies from Mauritius, South Africa, Zambia and United States of America. The companies will be in industries including diamond beneficiation, plastic injection molding, pharmaceuticals, health, agro business, aviation, smart city ducting and CCTV.
As part of the first phase, SEZA has also awarded P100 million to Bothakga Burrow for the detailed design, infrastructure development and construction of a 2km-road with five internal junctions and an additional live junction at Airport road. Underground services include water, wastewater, surface water, fibre, power as well as lighting.
Ndzinge said their target investors are in the diamond beneficiation, automotive components, aerospace and aviation, cargo, freight and logistics, pharmaceutical and medical devices, engineering and electric equipment, plastics and agric processing.
“The SSKIA zone covers 800 hectares of land in which 80% will be occupied by factories, manufacturing and international services while 20% will be mostly live and play occupying hotels, retail, offices and local services,” he said.
SEZA is envisaged to diversify the economic and export base of Botswana into sectors that will continue to grow long after diamonds have run out.
At least eight regions have already been identified as potentially viable for SEZs, which include SSKIA and Fairgrounds in Gaborone, as well as Lobatse, Selebi-Phikwe, Pandamatenga, Palapye, Francistown and Tuli Block.
SEZA offers both fiscal and non-fiscal incentives for investors who invest in their SEZAs. Some of the fiscal incentives include five percent corporate tax for the first 10 years, 10% corporate tax thereafter, fast tracked land allocation, long term renewable land leases, duty-free imports of specialist plant and machinery for manufacturing purposes along with other incentives that were approved by cabinet.
Non-fiscal incentives that SEZA offers to investors include support in fast tracking the issuance of visas, work and residence permits, identify and introduce investors to service suppliers, and many other incentives.