Author

Brian Benza
  • Blue chips drag BSE southwards

    After shedding 2.2% last week, the DCI lost another 0.11% on Monday strengthening a southwards trend that has characterised the market since the beginning of the year. This year performance of the bourse is a direct contrast to 2015 where the...

  • Choppies, Sefalana turf wars resurface

    This time around, a deal that Choppies CEO, Ramachandran Ottapathu is pursuing in his personal capacity has emerged as the eye of a storm that has reignited the fresh battle with competitor, Sefalana Holdings. On Monday, Sefalana Holdings implored...

  • Govt greenlights 100MW CBM power tender

    In a statement released recently, the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources (MMEWR) announced that it had received an approval from the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board (PPADB) to shortlist Tlou Energy and Sekaname Pvt Limited...

  • ODC sales jump 35% on market recovery

    ODC Managing Director, Toby Frears told BusinessWeek that compared to the same period in 2015, the amount of carats sold in the first half of the year were 35% higher at 1,75 million carats. In terms of revenue, ODC’s total value of goods sold...

  • Services sector anchors economic rebound

    The 2.8% first quarter growth rate, which is equal to that of the same period last year, represents a recovery from the consecutive negative growth rates recorded in the third and fourth quarters of 2015. Data released by Statistics Botswana (SB)...

  • BPC�s power import deal blocked

    Knitted together by local private equity firm, Capital Management Africa (CMA), the deal involved advancement of a $300 million debt facility to cash strapped Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) at ‘punitive’ interest rates of up to 20% using...

  • Diamond sales fall again in June

    The sales figure, compared with a revised $636 million in the previous sight, represents a decline of 8.5 percent from $586 million revenue estimated by Rapaport News for the equivalent cycle last year. “Sales in the fifth cycle of the year...

  • Economic growth target too optimistic � BoB

    In the 2016/2017 budget speech presented in February, finance minister, Kenneth Matambo projected the economy to bounce back from a negative 0.3 percent growth rate in 2015 to 4.2 percent this year. But in a report highlighting the 2016 Business...

  • Tlou buoyed by 100MW gas plant proposal

    The company is focused on delivering power in Botswana and Southern Africa through the development of Coal Bed Methane (CBM) projects. In a statement released on Tuesday, Tlou acting managing director, Gabaake Gabaake said as the most advanced CBM...

  • Subdued economy batters business confidence

    “The overall confidence in the prevailing business conditions is at 36%, eight percentage points lower than the level that prevailed during the September 2015 survey. “This was considerably lower than the 45% expected for this period at...

  • Management takeover at Afena Capital

     In a transaction that is still before regulators, the local management team is acquiring an additional 51% in the Botswana firm from South African parent company, Afena Capital. “We are excited about the opportunities available for Afena...

  • Development of Qhoree copper mine on track

    In an interview with BusinessWeek, Cupric Africa chief executive officer, Sam Rasmussen said they estimate to spend about $350 million (P3.7 billion) to build the underground copper and silver mine and start mining with the first concentrate expected...

  • Lesedi La Rona seen fetching P900m at London auction

    Speaking at a mining conference held in Gaborone this week, Lucara chief operating officer, Paul Day said basing on figures of $77,000 per carat fetched by a 813-carat stone they sold in May, they expect Lesedi La Rona to attract a price of more...

  • Morupule B capacity to be doubled

    The power plant currently has a capacity to produce 600MW, but has averagely produced about half of that since commissioning in 2012 due to boiler failures and tube leaks. Addressing the Botswana Resource Sector Conference in Gaborone yesterday,...

  • KFC�s bankruptcy raises eyebrows

    Having operated in Botswana for over 20 years, KFC appeared to be a money-spinning business with franchisor, KFC Africa describing Botswana as one of their key markets in the region largely due to the relatively higher purchasing power of...

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