Rome, 14 October 2020 – Hosted and moderated by UNIDO ITPO Italy on 14 October, the virtual country presentation “Doing Green Business in Botswana” provided a platform for the promotion of investment opportunities and incentives in the local renewable energies and green technologies sectors among Botswanan and Italian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the field. 

Attended by over 40 participants, the webinar was started by UNIDO ITPO Italy’s Head, Ms. Diana Battaggia, who highlighted the pivotal role played by the Office in “identifying and mobilizing technical, financial and managerial resources in order to achieve employment, economic competitiveness and environmental protection”. The welcome speech of Ms. Battaggia was followed by the opening remarks of Mr. Balisi Gopolang, Chief of Meteorological Services Department at the Ministry of Environment, Natural resources and Tourism: “Today UNIDO came in to support Botswanan institutions to address climate change, acknowledging that the private sector is key; we, as government, cannot do it alone” commented Mr. Gopolang, stressing the crucial role of public-private partnerships for sustainable green development, in compliance with the United Nations 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

The online conference saw multiple interventions by several institutional and business stakeholders from Botswana: Mr. Duncan Morotsi and Mr. PC Kgomotso, respectively COO and Acting Director Electricity at the Botswana Energy Regulatory Authority, illustrating existing opportunities in the country for green technologies and renwable energy sources, with a specific focus on solar, wind and biofuels; Mr. Reginald Tebogo Selelo, COO at the Botswana Investment and Trade Center, presenting the auspicious business climate in Botswana for international trade and investment; Mr. James Molenga, Principal Energy Engineer at the Department of Energy, providing an institutional framework for the national energy sector; Ms. Bathsheba Mbongwe and Mr. Edward Rakgati, respectively Director Research and Partnerships and Expert on Energy at the Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation, who analyzed the local power mix and described their current research projects; and finally Ms. Zoe A. Isaacs, Director Business Development Services at Business Botswana, who emphasized the importance of partnerships with the private sector for technology transfer and investment in the country.

Successfully advancing cooperation and the development of potential business relations among Italian and Botswanan institutions and SMEs, the event was the fourth episode of the webinar series “Doing Green Business” organized by UNIDO ITPO Italy in the framework of the project “Fostering international partnerships between companies and/or institutions operating in the energy and environment sectors” funded by the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea.