- Director announces retailers of the soaps
- Minister Matsheka emphasises need for economic empowerment law
- BnR says annual festival will be COVID-compliant
GOSEGO MOTSUMI
In a bid to diversify its product offerings in the climate of COVID-19, youth enterprise Born & Raised (BnR) recently launched detergents at New Capitol Cinemas in Gaborone.
The products, which have already secured shelf space at various supermarkets nationwide, are lavender and lemon multipurpose cleaners and a lemon dishwashing liquid.
Speaking at the launch, the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Thapelo Matsheka, said despite existence of government schemes, effective citizen participation in some sectors of the economy has not been satisfactory. For that reason, government has decided to move from policy to law to ensure effectiveness in application and implementation of the citizen economic empowerment agenda.
Minister Matsheka said the highly anticipated law will address inequalities of the past by transferring the country’s wealth to disadvantaged Batswana, thereby facilitating more participation of citizens in the economy.
“Born & Raised gives me hope in the realisation of citizen participation in our economy,” he noted. “It is worth noting that local manufacturing companies need to have more access to the market in order to grow and provide more employment and remain sustainable.”
Also speaking at the launch, Director of BnR, Molatedi Kgotla, said obtaining retail shelf space for the products has challenges because some retail players are reluctant to accept the fact that the Phusha BW Movement is here to stay.
“The economic empowerment law should speak to committing all retailers to list locally produced brands unconditionally, of course, taking into account the quality of products and capacity,” Kgotla asserted. “It must review the listing requirements and conditions imposed by these retail giants on local producers.”
Kgotla said Choppies was the first to accept listing his company’s products. Square Mart (commonly known as Food Lovers), Thuso Wholesalers and The Cold Room in Serowe, World Bazzar, Daily Needs, Welcome Cash & Carry and Kamoso Africa had also agreed be to official distributors of the products of Born & Raised.
Kgotla took advantage of the product launch to announce that the annual Born & Raised Music Festival will take place on Christmas Eve (24 December 2020) at Serowe Sports Complex. “We will be submitting our proposal to the COVID-19 Task Force Team detailing how we intend to host a COVID-19 compliant event,” he said.