SESUPO RANTSIMAKO
FRANCISTOWN: Most businesses of Batswana are unsustainable because often they underestimate their ability to maintain them in the long run, the Botswana Telecommunications Corporations Limited (BTCL) Managing Director, Anthony Masunga, has bemoaned.
Officiating at the just ended Business Botswana Northern Trade Fair (BBNTF) themed Business Agility in Botswana: Optimizing Businesses at 50 years and Beyond, Masunga pointed out that for local businesses to stay relevant for the next 50 years and enjoy a diversified sustainable economic growth, they should not bask in the glory of the past but reinvent themselves. “This alone requires a change in mindset in how we conduct ourselves as people and how we do business because often we underestimate the tenacity of our DNA and even our ability to create sustainable businesses,” he said.
He said as the brainchild of the local people, BTC should be an inspiration to many locals because it has demonstrated what it takes to rise above the challenges creating sustainable homemade solutions. “So, locals who want to venture into businesses should not look very far for an inspiration. It is time to ponder how far we can go not only as a collective. Also we should each as individuals do our bit to be part of a success story for businesses and the nation,” emphasized the BTC Managing Director.
Though the country is faced with challenging economic climate, Masunga said Batswana should instead dynamically adjust their businesses to overcome the challenges and take advantage of new market opportunities. “I know ahead- the road is tough but do whatever it takes to keep going. We need to do our homework through research, using of technology being flexible and creative. If you put all these the results will show,” he said.
The BTC Managing Director added, “Through the Public Private Partnerships approach, we can resource and help facilitate the growth of businesses for them to gain a competitive advantage, create employment and realize economic diversification and compete with the best in the global markets.”