18 Jun 2024

Local Enterprise Authority (LEA) has registered over 1900 applicants for Chema Chema Fund in the North West District since its launch in April.

North West District Council chairperson, Mr Itumeleng Kelebetseng, revealed during the ongoing full council meeting the importance of empowering beneficiaries with essential business management skills to effectively utilise the allocated funds for establishing profitable and sustainable enterprises.

According to Mr Kelebetseng, LEA has successfully trained 2 157 applicants in the district. Post-funding, beneficiaries are expected to receive coaching and mentoring through the LEA programme, aimed at fostering business growth.

Highlighting a notable trend, Mr Kelebetseng pointed out that women entrepreneurs dominate the applications and training, underscoring the necessity for inclusive empowerment initiatives to be strengthened.

The Chema Chema Fund aims to promote financial inclusivity by targeting informal sector businesses, which, though numerous, contribute minimally to the local economy. The fund offers affordable short-term financing to both new and existing informal businesses. 

Through the outreach programme the house learnt that Chema chema registration service would be taken to villages of Shorobe, Sankoyo, Khwai, Mababe, Komana, Nxaraga, Toteng, , Chanoga, Sehithwa, Bodibeng, Makakung, Kareng, Tsau, Makalamabedi, Semboyo and Phuduhudu effective this month and Mr Kelebetseng pleaded with fellow councillors to encourage their constituents to ready themselves for the Chema chema dispensation.

The council chairperson also acknowledged that in the interest of the new tourism policy objectives of product diversification and promotion of domestic and international tourism, Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO) attended Africa’s travel Indaba last month in Durban.

Botswana, he said hosted about 45 tour operators and among them youth owned companies and community based organisations (CBOs), Khwai Development Trust and all attendees had a chance to attend the business opportunity networking day organised by for operators to meet with potential customers.

Mr Kelebetseng also informed the house that BTO as a member of Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and a partner in tourism development had been working different community trusts to assist them with identifying potential investors for their concession areas.

Recently, BTO, he highlighted had facilitated the Mababe Community Development Trust to award tenders for concession area NG41, zone 3 and 4 to potential investors and currently assisting the Khwai Trust to get an investor for the development and management of Khwai River Lodge.

“This initiative will empower Khwai communities and create employment opportunities for them,” he added.

The organisation, he said had also interacted with the CBO’s board of trustees and since the uplifting of the hunting ban as many CBO’s received revenue from their hunting quotas and were therefore looking to diversify their products by venturing into tourism accommodation facilities.

Furthermore, the house was informed that the organisation identified CBOs which had ventured or were on the process of venturing into the tourism accommodation sector, to capacitate them on key strategic areas such as new policies, legislation and requirements such as the Tourism Policy 2021, Economic Inclusion Act, Public Procurement and sublease templates.

Under the citizen, economic empowerment, Mr Kelebetseng noted that BTO invited 100 per cent citizen owned companies, joint venture partnerships, consortia and other duly incorporated entities to tender for the development and management of the Concession Area NG42 which would have two lodges with a maximum of 24-beds each located at Masame and Mowana, one campground in Masamane with three campsites with capacity for ten people each and three mobile operator campsites in Mowana water hole, Butterfly water hole, North of Borehole with capacity for 15 people each. ENDS