Gov�t facilitates projects to revitalise SPEDU region
Gaone Marumoloa | Tuesday March 7, 2017 16:35
Submitting his Ministry’s budget proposals for the 2017/18 financial year, Seretse said government has approved a package of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives, which includes tax, government off-take and provision of infrastructure. These incentives are meant to address specific industry bottlenecks and their competitiveness requirements.
According to Seretse, a wholly citizen-owned company that manufactures mobile telephone handsets and a technology service provider within the Information Communications Technology (ICT) sector is setting up.
“The company is already providing entry level handsets in African markets in countries such as Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
The advent of enterprises of this calibre signifies an important paradigm shift from the conventional manufacturing. This company will employ 100 people by end of the financial year and comes with an investment of over P20 million for the first stage of operations,” he said.
The second stage of the project, Seretse said, will entail product and market diversification including manufacturing of other electronic goods such as television sets, computers (laptops and desktops) and refrigeration products.
Another ICT company is also envisaged to open shop in the region, whose main value proposition is to provide various technology solutions such as livestock identification technologies, queue management systems and e-pay solution. The project will employ 200 people at an initial cost of P3 million.
In response to the ongoing development of the National AGOA Response strategy for Botswana, he said there has since been heightened investor interest in the textiles sector.
SPEDU has during the financial year successfully facilitated the acquisition and subsequent renovation of three factory shells each of 2,000 square metres for Puget Creation Designs (Pty) Limited. At full operations, the project will employ a total on 1,600 people.
On the tourism sector, he said dam Tourism Master Plans are at different stages of completion and by the end of 2016, the Letsibogo Master Plan was concluded while Dikgatlhong Dam Master Plan is still at draft report stage and will reach completion within the financial year 2017/18.
According to Seretse, SPEDU has also successfully facilitated allocation of a 10-hectare piece of leased land for the purposes of setting up a pharmaceutical plant in Selebi-Phikwe.
The plant will produce among other products like anti-retroviral (ARVs) drugs, liquid suspensions; powder based medicines, pills and tables as well as intravenous fluids. “Pula Dynes (Pty) Limited commenced the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) consultative process toward the end of 2016.
“The project is on target to commence operations by the end of the current financial year. An amount of P300 million will be invested in the project and once in full operation, 300 direct jobs will be created. During construction an additional 900 jobs will be created,” he said.
On the agricultural sector, Seretse said Kwenantle Farms (Pty) Limited recently took over the operations of Talana Farms. With a planned investment of over P20 million out of which at least P18.5 million has already been rolled out, the project has commenced operations with 80 hectares already under irrigated cultivation for cereals (maize) and soya beans (66 ha), tomatoes (8 ha) and butternuts (6 ha).
“A total of 62 people have been engaged so far and recruitment will continue until a full staff complement of 200 is attained supporting the optimisation of available capacity,” he said.
In a bid to boost horticulture in the area, a 42 kilometre electric power line along the banks of the Motloutse River was launched in December 2016 with construction at 70% complete and farmers on the Bobonong side of the power line have commenced connection processes.
“This is a direct incentive which has substantially reduced the cost of electricity connection which has always been a barrier to the growth of the horticulture sector. The project will be complete by the beginning of financial year 2017/18,” he said.
Another company, Oxygen Gas (Pty) Limited was allocated under a lease agreement a 4.6-hectare industrial piece of land in July 2016. The company intends to set up an air separation plant for the production of oxygen, nitrogen and other gasses. The project, which entails a P45 million investment, will create 140 jobs once in full operation. Construction of the plant is anticipated to commence by the end of the financial year 2017/18.