Membership Subscriptions Give Business Botswana A Boost
Pauline Dikuelo | Monday September 24, 2018 13:57
Over the years, the employer federation’s sustainability has been heavily reliant on the memberships subscription, which has increased from 350 paying members last year to 720 as of August 2018.Speaking at the Annual General Meeting recently, BB president Gobusamang Keebine said the organisation has managed to improve its membership subscription, which has affected operations in the past.
“Last year the organisation had 350 paying members, we made a loss and there were more negatives about BB than positives. However, we have embarked on a vigorous publicity and image rebuilding exercise,” he said.
According to Keebine, they have put together a sustainability plan to tackle amongst others the over-reliance on the subscriptions as a revenue stream.
In addition he said the organisation has developed a 2018-2023 strategic plan with the assistance of the United National Development Programme (UNDP) and endorsed by council and members. The new strategic plan is inclusive of local and national priorities and relates to the current economic landscape.
Further, Keebine said the African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved their technical assistance project to the value in excess of $1.1 million over a three-year period for the support of economic diversification, which is dubbed Private Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2.
The organisation also singed a Memorandum of Cooperation with China Council for the promotion of International Trade (CCPIT). According to Keebine, this will strengthen trade relations between China and Botswana, with much emphasis on manufacturing as well as partnerships and joint ventures between the two countries.
“Earlier this year we hosted ambassadors and high commissioners resident in Botswana to share with them our mandate and to appeal to them to link us with chambers of commerce in their respective countries,” he said.