PALAPYE: Chinese construction company, China Jiangsu International, says they will spend P20 million in procuring steel pipes from a local company.
Speaking to Mmegi Business, China Jiangsu International project manager, Uyapo Pitso, said that their company seeks to promote localisation rather than importing products outside the country.
Buying local products, he said, will build Botswana industries that will create sustainable jobs for the economy.
“As the private sector, we must take a leading role in the diversification of the country’s economy.
“We have therefore placed an order of steel pipes that we are to use in our project from a local company, Seven Star Steel Pipe Manufacturing group based here in Palapye for P20 million. We want to play a leading role in empowering local companies,” he said.
He indicated that locally made products are often associated with poor quality, hence the reason some big companies always try to buy goods from outside the country. The Chinese company is currently undertaking a water reticulation pipeline project in the village worth P215 million. The project includes 249 kilometres of both plastic and steel pipes in Palapye. “In the project, we will need about 10 kilometres of steel pipe work. We will procure all of our steel pipes for this project from the Seven Star group,” he said.
Pitso added that as China Jiangsu international, they would continue purchasing goods that are available in the Botswana market before they can look outside the country.
Recent reports in the media indicate that the government is also concerned that while a directive has been issued for all government departments to procure locally manufactured products, some within the private sector still import. �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US; mso-bidi-language:AR-SA'>Rand Merchant Bank were the transaction advisors for the deal.
