Botswana�s annual steel import bill at P775m

Pula Steel and government officials at the launch of the plant
Pula Steel and government officials at the launch of the plant

SELEBI-PHIKWE: Botswana steel import bill stands at P775 million annually but the establishment of the Pula Steel Manufacturing and Casting Plant will reduce the need to buy from outside, Vice President Mokgweetsi Masisi has said.

Officially launching the factory here yesterday, Masisi said local steel demand last year was met primarily by South Africa and China.

He said steel was a basic commodity required by any developing economy for infrastructural developments, mines and construction. According to international trade statistics, SADC imported P36 billion worth of steel in 2014 and the local demand amounted to P775 million.

Editor's Comment
Micro-procurement maze demands urgent reform

Whilst celebrating milestones in inclusivity, with notably P5 billion awarded to vulnerable groups, the report sounds a 'siren' on a dangerous and growing trend: the ballooning use of micro-procurement. That this method, designed for small-scale, efficient purchases, now accounts for a staggering 25% (P8 billion) of total procurement value is not a sign of agility, but a 'red flag'. The PPRA’s warning is unequivocal and must be...

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