BEDIA hosts Indian delegation

Staff Writer | Friday July 16, 2010 00:00

 

According to a press release from BEDIA, the delegation will explore opportunities in the sectors of energy, mining, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, ICT and agriculture, among other things.

At a business seminar with the delegation at GICC yesterday, in-depth presentations from various sectors of the Botswana economy were made in order to lure the investors.

The delegation, which was led by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), was also afforded time to have individual meetings with the representatives of the sectors they have interest in. CII is one of the most prominent business organisations in India.

Indian investors have of late shown great interest in investing in Botswana, and BEDIA responded swiftly by establishing an office in India to try and bring services of the organisation to interested companies, as well as to disseminate information about business opportunities that exist in Botswana.

The visit by the delegation is a response to an invitation passed by Vice President Mompati Merafhe on his visit to India last month where he officially opened the BEDIA office and courted increased economic ties with the Indian government officials. Merafhe was also returning the visit by Indian Vice-President Hamid Ansari, who came to Botswana at the beginning of the year.

Both Vice Presidents signed some cooperation agreements in various sectors of the economy during their visits. There was widespread speculation in the Indian media that Ansari's primary reason on his official visit to Botswana was in search of the country's diamonds, an aspect that did not go down well with De Beers, Botswana's key partner in the diamond mining industry.

Despite expressing interest in Botswana's diamonds, Ansari did not sign any agreement regarding diamonds, which contribute considerably to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Instead, his discussions were more focused on minor sectors of the economy that are not yet fully developed like agriculture and the leather and textile industry.