BEDIA's last Global Expo opened

Giving the keynote speech at Boipuso Hall in Gaborone yesterday, the Acting Executive Secretary of SADC, Margaret Nyirenda, said the theme of the show, Promoting Economic Diversification and Partnerships, reflected a desire to encourage intra-regional trade.

Nyirenda said with diversified economies and increased intra-regional trade, SADC would become a more competitive market and gain a stronger voice at international forums. The economies of the region would also become more resilient and therefore better equipped to absorb external shocks, she said.