Construction of Leather Park to finally start � LEA
Pauline Dikuelo | Friday October 20, 2017 14:37
Currently, work is in progress to secure a technical advisor and an investor for the project. According to the Authority’s 2016/2017annual report, work is in progress to secure other components of the leather industry park project noting that during this financial year they have managed to engage the project manager who has conducted the topographic survey and geotechnical investigations, which would input into the detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study.
“Progress has been made at the Leather Park, as the EIA has been completed and approved by the Department of Environmental Affairs. The project manager has been engaged and the establishment of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) has been completed and it is called the Leather Industry Park (Pty) Ltd,” reads the report.
Once operational, the Leather Park is expected to provide private sector activities in hides and skins collection, raw to finished leather tanneries and manufacturing of different leather products such as shoes, belts, jackets and others thereby playing an instrumental role in economic diversification.
The leather industry park with a Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CEPT) was adopted as a development model to address lack of finished leather for SMMEs in the country and create a conducive environment for the sector to grow.
“The leather industry park and the Kutla Incubation Centre are being implemented to address gaps such as lack of finished leather products and lack of entrepreneurial skills amongst Batswana respectively,” reads the report.
The multi-million-pula Lobatse leather industry park project is expected to create at least 10,000 jobs upon commencement of its operations in 2020 instead of the initial 5,000 jobs. The jobs comprise estimated 300 hide collectors, 2,000 leather goods manufacturers and a bulk of the jobs is expected to be created in the leather processing and product manufacturing lane such as external sectors who will manufacture safety wear from the leather products.
Meanwhile the Authority’s four incubators across the country being the Leather Industries Incubator in Gaborone, the Glen Valley Horticulture Incubator also in Gaborone, the Light Industrial Incubator in Francistown and the Pilane Multi Purpose Incubator are reported to be performing well.
“The Leather Industries Incubator continues to produce and deliver high quality leather products for different local customers like Botswana Prisons Services, Botswana Defence Force and Debswana Mines,” it said.
The Authority has also graduated about 11 businesses which were held under incubation that includes Kgatleng Chemicals, Cool Eskimos, House of Paint, Dips Motors, Sunrise Travel and Tours, Zarephath Guest House, Water Lily lodge, Lemepe Lodge, Agricorner, Berlina Industries and Amogelang Sorghum Milling.