Zimbabwe woos Botswana investors
Zimbabwe President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has called on Botswana business community and Chambers of Commerce to consider his country as they expand their businesses.
Mnangagwa was speaking at the Botswana –Zimbabwe Business Forum on the sidelines of his state visit to Botswana this past Tuesday. He said the people of Zimbabwe will forever be grateful for the support they received from the government and people of Botswana during his country’s difficult times. “We are bound together by a shared culture, history and geographically we are one, which should inspire us to work together in our national growth and economic development of our 2 countries,” he said.
Mnangagwa said the forum was critical in building on the goodwill that existed between the two countries adding that it was a good platform in complimenting the bilateral relations. “The gathering is most opportune in implementing the raft of incentives for economic growth and development in my country, Zimbabwe is open for business. We equally recognize the need to engage and re-engage for socio-economic development. We are determined to make sure that Zimbabwe is an investment nation where capital feels safe,” he said.
Mnangangwa who took over the reins after the military negotiated long time leader, Robert Mugabe out of power late last year, said his administration was alive to the fact that Zimbabwe needed to put robust economic transformation and revitalization strategies and reforms to return the country‘s economy to its glory days. “We have abundant investment opportunities in mining, manufacturing and infrastructure development sectors. We are inviting investors to come to the new Zimbabwe,” he said.
The President of Zimbabwe inherited a scattered economy with over 90 % unemployment rate. Western imposed sanctions have not been friendly to that country either. The Zimbabwe leader says over the years his country suffered lack of infrastructural development due to lack of foreign financing.
For his part the minister of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) Vincent Seretse noted that the Botswana –Zimbabwe Forum organized by the Botswana Investment & Trade Center (BITC ) presented a golden opportunity for the two countries to strengthen foundations and facilitate open networking for the business communities to take advantage of the abundant trade and investment opportunities.
“Our predecessors in government pioneered the great vision of developing strong economic links between our great countries and it is for this reason that today, we have trade facilitation instruments such as Botswana/Zimbabwe bilateral trade agreement, which allow for goods traded between our countries to be exempted from payment of customs duties, provided they meet the minimum requirement of 25 per cent local content,” he said.
Seretse said that Botswana’s manufacturing landscape comprised of several companies with Zimbabwean shareholding. He said the majority of them are operating in the timber and sugar packaging industries. “These companies have over the years invested around P132 million in Botswana, with an estimated annual turnover of P392 million, and they employed around 436 permanent employees, and an additional 436 part-time employees,” he said.
Minister Seretse noted that the aforementioned figures do not include one of the largest investments shareholding, in the mobile telecommunications sector by Zimbabwean billionaire, Strive Masiyiwa who is one of the major founding shareholders of Mascom, Botswana’s largest mobile network. Masiyiwa has since reduced his stake in Mascom with MTN Group and BPOPF the major shareholders.
The Botswana-Zimbabwe Business Forum saw experts and chambers of commerce representatives in different economic sectors from both countries present on existing business and investment opportunities. Major Highlights from the presentation are that lucrative investment opportunities in the mining sector exist in Zimbabwe. Isaac Kwesu of The Zimbabwean Chamber of Mines said his country was home to one of the largest Lithium and Chrome reserves in the world.
Other presenters, Richard Mbaiwa from the Zimbabwean Investment Authority revealed that the new administration of Zimbabwe was putting in place reforms such as no restriction on the amount of foreign currency brought into the country in order to attract foreign direct Investment.
He also added that 100 % repatriation of disinvestment proceeds , 100% remittance of dividends, Operation of local foreign currency accounts (FCA), Borrowing from local financial system for working capital purposes as well as authorized permission on Offshore borrowing were amongst other incentives put in place and administered by the his organization to create a conducive environment for doing business in Zimbabwe.
Other presentations included that of Charles Siwawa of Botswana Chamber of Mines who shared that Botswana’s mining sector was still recovering from the liquidation of some major companies due to decline in global commodity prices in 2016. However he said opportunities existed in supply of materials and equipments as well as other value chain opportunities in the sector. Botswana authorities presented on the opportunities that existed in the SPEDU region urging Zimbabwean farmers to consider exploring the rich agricultural land in the Phikwe area. Zimbabwean business people were made were also made aware of other opportunities that existed in Botswana such as the cargo, transport and logistics.
The stand out moment at the forum was the signing of Memorandum of Understanding by Botswana Investment & Trade Centre (BITC) and ZimTrade on strengthening the relationship between the Parties and the private sectors of Zimbabwe and Botswana respectively. The MOU is set to facilitate collaboration and cooperation between the parties in matters of common interest and establish the working arrangements necessary for the implementation of the MOU; to collaborate with each other to promote and strengthen trade relations between public and private sector institutions and operators, in sectors to be mutually agreed, with a view to expand trade and economic cooperation between Zimbabwe and Botswana.
Business
LLR transforms from Company to Group reporting
Botswana Stock Exchange listed diversified real estate company, Letlole La Rona Limited (“LLR” or “the Company” or “the Group”), posted its first set of group financial statements which comprise the Company and Group consolidated accounts, which show strong financial performance for the six months ended 31 December 2023, with improvements across all key metrics.
The Company commenced the financial year with the appointment of a Deputy Chairperson, Mr Mooketsi Maphane, in order to bolster its governance and enhance leadership continuity through the development of a Board and Executive Management Succession Plan.
At operational level, LLR increased its shareholding in Railpark Mall from 32.79% to 57.79% and proudly took over the management of this prime asset.
The CEO of LLR, Ms Kamogelo Mowaneng commented “During the period under review, our portfolio continued to perform strongly, with improvements across all key metrics as a result of our ongoing focus on portfolio growth and optimisation.
“We are pleased to report a successful first half of the 2024 financial year, where we managed to not only grow the portfolio through strategic acquisitions and value accretive refurbishments but also recycled capital through the disposal of Moedi House as well as the ongoing sale of section titles at Red Square Apartments. The acquisition of an additional 25% stake in JTTM Properties significantly uplifted the value of our investment portfolio to P2.0 billion at a Group level. Our investment portfolio was further differentiated by the quality of our tenant base, as demonstrated by above market occupancy levels of 99.15% and strong collections of above 100% for the period”.
The growth in contractual revenue of 9% from the prior year’s P48.0 million to the current year P52.2 million, increased income from Railpark Mall, coupled with high collection rates, has enabled the company to declare a distribution of 9.11 thebe per linked unit, which is in line with the prior year.
In line with its strategic pillars of ‘Streamlined and Expanded Botswana Portfolio’ as well as ‘Quality African Assets’, the Group continuously monitors the performance of its investments to ensure that they meet the targeted returns.
“The Group continues to explore yield accretive opportunities for balance sheet growth and funding options that can be deployed to finance that growth” further commented the CEO of LLR Ms Kamogelo Mowaneng.
Ms Mowaneng further thanked the Group’s stakeholders for their continued support and stated that they look forward to unlocking further value in the Group.
Business
Botswana’s Electricity Generation Dips 26.4%
The Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) has reported a significant decrease in electricity generation for the fourth quarter of 2023, with output plummeting by 26.4%. This decline is primarily attributed to operational difficulties at the Morupule B power plant, as per the latest Botswana Index of Electricity Generation (IEG) released recently.
Local electricity production saw a drastic reduction, falling from 889,535 MWH in the third quarter of 2023 to 654,312 MWH in the period under review. This substantial decrease is largely due to the operational challenges at the Morupule B power plant. Consequently, the need for imported electricity surged by 35.6% (136,243 MWH) from 382,426 MWH in the third quarter to 518,669 MWH in the fourth quarter. This increase was necessitated by the need to compensate for the shortfall in locally generated electricity.
Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (ZESCO) was the principal supplier of imported electricity, accounting for 43.1% of total electricity imports during the fourth quarter of 2023. Eskom followed with 21.8%, while the remaining 12.1, 10.3, 8.6, and 4.2% were sourced from Electricidade de Mozambique (EDM), Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), Nampower, and Cross-border electricity markets, respectively. Cross-border electricity markets involve the supply of electricity to towns and villages along the border from neighboring countries such as Namibia and Zambia.
Distributed electricity exhibited a decrease of 7.8% (98,980 MWH), dropping from 1,271,961 MWH in the third quarter of 2023 to 1,172,981 MWH in the review quarter.
Electricity generated locally contributed 55.8% to the electricity distributed during the fourth quarter of 2023, a decrease from the 74.5% contribution in the same quarter of the previous year. This signifies a decrease of 18.7 percentage points. The quarter-on-quarter comparison shows that the contribution of locally generated electricity to the distributed electricity fell by 14.2 percentage points, from 69.9% in the third quarter of 2023 to 55.8% in the fourth quarter. The Morupule A and B power stations accounted for 90.4% of the electricity generated during the fourth quarter of 2023, while Matshelagabedi and Orapa emergency power plants contributed the remaining 5.9 and 3.7% respectively.
The year-on-year analysis reveals some improvement in local electricity generation. The year-on-year perspective shows that the amount of distributed electricity increased by 8.2% (88,781 MWH), from 1,084,200 MWH in the fourth quarter of 2022 to 1,172,981 MWH in the current quarter. The trend of the Index of Electricity Generation from the first quarter of 2013 to the fourth quarter of 2023 indicates an improvement in local electricity generation, despite fluctuations.
The year-on-year analysis also reveals a downward trend in the physical volume of imported electricity. The trend in the physical volume of imported electricity from the first quarter of 2013 to the fourth quarter of 2023 shows a downward trend, indicating the country’s continued effort to generate adequate electricity to meet domestic demand, has led to the decreased reliance on electricity imports.
In response to the need to increase local generation and reduce power imports, the government has initiated a new National Energy Policy. This policy is aimed at guiding the management and development of Botswana’s energy sector and encouraging investment in new and renewable energy. In the policy document, Minister of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security Lefoko Moagi stated that the policy aims to transform Botswana from being a net energy importer to a self-sufficient nation with surplus energy for export into the region. Moagi expressed confidence that Botswana has the potential to achieve self-sufficiency in electric power supply, given the country’s readily available energy resources such as coal and renewable sources.
Business
MMG acquires Khoemacau in a transaction valued at P23Bn
MMG Limited, the Hong Kong-based mining company specializing in base metals, has successfully concluded the acquisition of Khoemacau Copper Mine, a state-of-the-art, world-class copper asset nestled in the northwest of Botswana.
On Monday, MMG announced that the acquisition of Khoemacau Mine in Botswana was finalized on 22nd March 2024. “This acquisition enriches the company’s portfolio with a top-tier, transformative growth project and signifies a monumental milestone in the Company’s journey,” MMG communicated in an official statement published on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Upon completion of the acquisition, MMG remitted to the Sellers an Aggregate Consideration of approximately US$1,734,657,000 (over P23 billion), a sum subject to potential adjustments post-Completion.
In addition to the Aggregate Consideration, MMG, in accordance with the Agreement, advanced an aggregate amount of approximately US$348,580,000 (over P4.5 billion) as the Aggregate Debt Settlement Amount, to settle certain debt balances of the Target Group (Cuprous Capital/Khoemacau).
On November 21, 2023, Khoemacau announced that the shareholders of its parent company [Cuprous Capital] had agreed to sell 100% of their interests to MMG Limited.
MMG is a global resources company that mines, explores, and develops copper and other base metals projects on four continents. The company is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, and has a significant shareholder, China Minmetals Corporation, which is China’s largest metals and minerals group owned by the Government of the People’s Republic of China.
On December 22, 2023, Khoemacau Copper Mining (Pty) Ltd received the approval from the Minister of Minerals and Energy of Botswana regarding the transfer of a controlling interest in the Project Licenses and Prospecting Licenses associated with the Khoemacau Copper Mine, a result of the Acquisition.
The Botswana Competition & Consumer Authority (CCA) on January 29, 2024, notified the market that it had given its approval for the takeover of Khoemacau Copper Mining by MMG Limited.
On January 29, 2024, the CCA issued a merger decision to the market, stating that after conducting all necessary assessments, it was ready to proceed.
The Competition Authority affirmed that the structure of the relevant market would not significantly change upon implementation of the proposed merger as the proposed transaction is not likely to result in a substantial lessening of competition, nor endanger the continuity of service in the market of mining of copper and silver ores and the production, and sale or supply of copper concentrate in Botswana.
Furthermore, the CCA stated that the proposed merger would not have any negative impact on public interest matters in Botswana as per the provisions of section 52(2) of the Competition Act 2018.
Earlier this month, Minister of Minerals & Energy, Lefoko Maxwell Moagi, informed parliament that his Ministry was endorsing the Khoemacau acquisition by MMG Limited. He noted that not only was the company acquiring the existing operation but also committing to an expansion program that would cost over $700 million to double production, create more jobs for Batswana, and increase taxes and royalties paid to the Government.