Partnership Botswana

With the Swedish Botswana Partner Driven Chamber Program as a base, Chamber Trade Sweden entered into a strategic cooperation with Botswana Confederation of Commerce, Industry and Manpower, BOCCIM, and the non-profit organization Women in Business Association, WIBA. The activities within the partnership were implemented from February 2012 to December 31, 2013.

The Program contributed to enhanced bilateral trade and private sector development through long-term, sustainable collaboration between the chambers, its members and other business networks. The Program specifically focuses on encouraging women’s economic empowerment through the special partnership with the non-profit organisation WIBA. As in most developing countries, the situation of many women in Botswana is severe and difficult.

BOCCIM is the chamber and employers organisation representing all business sectors of the Botswana economy in an advocacy capacity.  The organization has protected the economic interests of the business community and has won the confidence and respect of Government and other stakeholders in Botswana, through its initiated private public dialogue structure that it has successfully implemented, resulting in improved policy reforms and strategic direction for the private sector.

At WIBA, business women come together for purposes of networking and dissemination of information. The members cover almost all common sectors of the economy. WIBA exists to facilitate increased participation of women in all sectors of the economy especially those sectors dominated by men. It also works with advocacy promoting the adoption of specific laws that encourage women’s entry into business and support the sustainability of women-owned businesses.

Results from the partnerships
CTS- BOCCIM

  • Strengthened regional cooperation between South Africa, Botswana and Namibia
  • Increased capacity amongst the partners on Alternative Dispute resolution (ADR), green technology (e-waste), CSR and business matchmaking for SME’s.
  • Increased network and contacts for trading with Botswana in Sweden.
  • Increased contacts for trade for Botswana and Sweden and also within the Southern Africa regions through the Nordic Southern African Business Summit on November 14-15th in Cape Town and the Business Summit & Round Table on Industrial Development in Botswana, Nov 18-19, with BOCCIM members and a Swedish business delegation.

CTS-LANN developement-WIBA

  • Implementation of training of WIBA members on practical marketing and sales.
  • Start-up of the coaching program “Taking your company to the next level”.
  • Planning and implementation of the Women’s EXPO in Gaborone, where also participants from the parallel PDC projects in Namibia and Botswana took part.
  • Participation in the Women’s Innovation Trade Fair in Cape Town March 2014 – on own expense and as a result of the PDC cooperation between the countries.

The partnership continues through dialogue and through the exchange of contacts, possibilities and ideas.

For more information about the partnership but also on coming activities contact charlotte.kalin@chambertrade.se