Gaborone, 29-31 January 2018 – UNIDO ITPO Italy organized an institutional and entrepreneurial mission to Gaborone (Botswana) aimed at pursuing two interconnected goals. First of all, the Office has presented to the Government of Botswana the activities undertaken within the framework of the project "Technical assistance program in supporting Botswana private sector and relevant institutions in renewable energy (RE) through investment promotion and technology transfer" implemented in collaboration with the Italian Ministry for Environment, Land and Sea (IMELS). Secondly, further proactive support has been provided to some Italian companies interested in exploring potential investment opportunities in the country.

More precisely, with regards to the first objective, a very important event took place on the 30th of January at the Masa Hotel enriched by the presence of the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Mr. Thabang Leslie Botshoma. On such an occasion, delegates from the Botswana Investment and Trade Center, had the chance to share the achievements of their experience with the Italian technology providers during the Italian fair Ecomondo 2017 and the UNIDO ITPO Italy delegate program.

In addition, the Office facilitated contact between the Italian company Salvadori, specialized in technology for tyre recycling, and authorities in charge to develop policy for waste management, such as the Botswana Chamber of Mines. The company had also the opportunity to visit the waste landfill and the mining areas to promote the technology on tyre recycling. Similarly, UNIDO ITPO Italy supported the Italian Magaldi Group, active in the solar power field, to establish its first contact with the Botswana Chamber of Mines (BCM) and promote its Concentrated Solar Power Technology (CSP) to the mining sector.

In the light of the above-mentioned activities, the mission represented another promising step forward to foster inclusive and sustainable development through mutually beneficial cooperation between Italy and Botswana.