Page 6 - Issue 22

6 Cover Story

Investors in SEZ

deserve ‘special’

treatment

• investors and users get a comprehensive and simple

environment to do business through a single window or

one stop service centre.

• SEZ are a critical lever to support industrialisation and
economic transformation.

n pursuit of an effort to transform operations of SEZs on behalf of the is “to create a business environment
IBotswana from being a resource-based government. It is also responsible for that is intended to be more liberal from
to a knowledge-based economy, the mmarketing SEZs as an international a policy perspective and more effective
government is spearheading several location for FDI (export focussed from an administrative perspective than
initiatives. Some of them are scribed businesses). that of the national territory”.
within the national vision and goals such
as Vision 2036, national development Mr. Joel Ramaphoi who is the Director According to the Director, Special
plan(NDP11), National Spatial plan, of Investor Attraction of this institution Economic Zones are geographic areas
District economic strategies, etc. At addressed potential investors at the just contained within a country’s national
the helm of this development is the ended Mining Investment Botswana boundaries where the rules of business
now formerly institutionalized Special 2-day conference held between May are different from those that prevail
Economic Zones Authority (SEZA). 21st and 22nd 2019 at Hilton Garden elsewhere in the national territory.
Inn, Gaborone. In this instance government creates
Special Economic Zones Authority exemptions to its own rules. He went to
(SEZA) was established through the He spoke about Special Economic elaborate on this by stating that modern
act of parliament, SEZ Act of 2015, Zones as an effective tool for economic SEZs come in many types and size. In one
and operates as an Authority, through development if implemented properly instance, SEZs might offer nothing more
Ministry of Investment Trade and and in the right context. He took time than duty-free warehousing of goods
Industry. It is responsible for the overall to explain the background of SEZ, what in transit while in another they might
coordination and implementation of they stand for and how Botswana can provide an alternative governance
activities related to the establishment benefit from this approach if it is to regime for an entire metropolitan area.
and development of SEZs. Its function yield the intended results. Citing the Mr. Ramaphoi however highlighted that
is to initiate, develop, and manage the World Bank, he indicated that the goal zones governed by special rules have

Issue 22 - Jun/Jul 2019 www.engineermagazine.co.bw