industrialisation priorities. It has been revealed that the standards cover blue and processed hides and skins from bovine animals, sheep, goats and buffalo, as well as finished leather products such as belts and bags. Answering a question in Parliament recently, Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship, Tiroeaone Ntsima, said BOBS was also developing a wood sawdust standard specification following a request from a local timber manufacturing and processing company. It intends to use the sawdust, primarily for poultry bedding, and requires the product to be certified against a recognised standard. “The company indicated that it intends to supply customers who require the product to be certified against a recognised standard. The development of this standard will follow the fast-tracked method and will take approximately three months,” Ntsima said. The development of industry-specific standards comes as Botswana seeks to expand local manufacturing and extract greater value from its agricultural and natural resources.
Leather, in particular, has long been identified as a potential value-addition industry, given Botswana's sizeable livestock sector. However, much of the country's hides and skins have historically generated limited local value, while the domestic leather processing and manufacturing industry remains relatively small. Ntsima told Members of Parliament (MPs) that BOBS was implementing three key strategic initiatives to assist emerging local manufacturers. He said the first involved standards development and awareness, with the state-owned bureau focusing on demand-driven standards aligned with local manufacturing needs and government priorities.
