BTCL profit up 12%
Business
Botswana Telecommunications Corporation Limited’s profit after tax for the six months ended 30 September 2017 increased by 12% with revenues also picking up slightly by 2%. The strong set of results show that liquidity remains strong with zero gearing.
The only listed telecommunication company in the Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) reported 11% reduction in cost of sales leading to an increase in gross profit of 11%. Mobile was the highest contributor with 37%; closely followed by data with 34%; and fixed, which is steadily declining contributed 28% to sales.
Highlighting the challenges facing the company, BTCL Managing Director, Anthony Masunga, said the revenues continue to be pressured by efforts of regulators (and governments) to continuously push down prices, as a way of driving universal access to telecommunication services. Furthermore he revealed that mature markets like Botswana face limited growth prospects, and entry of previously unrelated businesses into the Telco ecosystem, resulting in intensified competition. The company’s profit comes about after the company managed to contain costs and increase sales.
The company also managed to improve on its cashflow. The cash generated from operating activities was P487million, a significant improvement from the last set of results. For the period under review the company made investments into new systems, infrastructure modernisation and expansion of P124million.
The leading telecommunications provider is bullish about the future despite the intensifying competition in the telecommunications sector. While acknowledging that various players are entering the market at different levels of the telco value chain on the back of the new licencing framework, the new developments also present partnership opportunities, revealed Masunga. He pointed out that the intense competition has also put pressure on the mobile market which is experiencing high churn rates and margin squeeze.
“Despite the subdued economic growth which has put pressure on bucket spend, BTC will continue to explore growth opportunities, especially in the broadband space, where penetration levels are still low and the demand for data services is on the increase. We expect positive results from our 4G service, which we introduced in our urban and peri urban areas around the country,” observed Masunga.
The BTC MD noted that one of the biggest challenges which is proving to be a challenge to their subscriber base growth is number portability. ‘People do not want to lose their numbers, they may be interested in using your services but they want to retain their numbers. We have already touched base with the regulator on the matter and they said it is a matter they could only look into in the next financial year.” BTC also hopes to transform its journey with a focus on network, commercial and cultural transformation.
BTCL is not far off its projected profits of P115 million in the 2017 financial year. The company says it will turn to improving its revenue streams through increased sales while at the same time containing costs. Moreover, revenue is expected to stabilise following huge price cuts and it will be boosted by the company’s focus on mobile and broadband (fixed and mobile) data services as avenues for continued growth in the short-to-long term. Botswana with the highest number of mobile penetrations in the world has provided a lucrative market for data services.
BTCL listing on the Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) in April was preceded by a nationwide awareness campaign and ended with a record breaking number of domestic investors. BTCL which listed 1.05 billion issued securities ushered in more than 50000 citizen investors, prior to that there were only 28122 registered Central Securities Depository Accounts (CSD).The Company is a provider of communications solutions and services. BTCL’s principal activities include among others: fixed and mobile voice telephony, national and international internet, data services, directory services, virtual and private networks.
BTCL declared an interim dividend of 3.73 thebe per share, payable to all shareholders registered in the books of the company at close of business on 29th December 2017. The dividends are payable on or before February 9th next year. The company, which has a market capitalisation of P1.82 billion is currently have an impressive run on the stock market. The company is currently trading at P1.69 per share an incredible surge from the initial offering of P1 per share.
Business
Stargems Group establishes Training Center in BW
Internationally-acclaimed diamond manufacturing company StarGems Group has established the Stargems Diamond Training Center which will be providing specialized training in diamond manufacturing and evaluation.
The Stargems Diamond Training Institute is located at the Stargems Group Botswana Unit in Gaborone.
“In accordance with the National Human Resource Development Strategy (NHRDS) which holds the principle that through education and skills development as well as the strategic alignment between national ambitions and individual capabilities, Botswana will become a prosperous, productive and innovative nation due to the quality and efficacy of its citizenry. The Training Centre will provide a range of modules in theory and in practice; from rough diamond evaluation to diamond grading and polishing for Batswana, at no cost for eight weeks. The internationally- recognized certificate offered in partnership with Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Training School presents invaluable opportunities for Batswana to access in the diamond industry locally and internationally. The initiative is an extension of our Corporate Social Investment to the community in which we operate,” said Vishal Shah, Stargems Group Managing Director, during the launch of the Stargems Diamond Training Center.
In order to participate in this rare opportunity, interested candidates are invited to submit a police clearance certificate and a BGCSE certificate only to the Stargems offices. Students who excel in these programs will have the chance to be onboarded by the Stargems Group. This serves as motivation for them to go through this training with a high level of seriousness.
“Community empowerment is one of our CSR principles. We believe that businesses can only thrive when their communities are well taken of. We are hoping that our presence will be impactful to various communities and economies. In the six countries that we are operating in, we have contributed through dedicating 10% of our revenues during COVID-19 to facilitate education, donating to hospitals and also to NGOs committed to supporting women and children living with HIV. One key issue that we are targeting in Botswana is the rate of unemployment amongst the youth. We are looking forward to working closely with the government and other relevant authorities to curb unemployment,” said Shah.
Currently, Stargems Group has employed 117 Batswana and they are looking forward to growing the numbers to 500 as the company grows. Majority of the employees will be graduates from the Stargems Diamond Training Center. This initiation has been received with open arms by the general public and stakeholders. During the launch, the Minister of Minerals and Energy, Honorable Lefoko Moagi, stated that the ministry fully endorses Stargems Diamond Training and will work closely with the Group to support and grow the initiative.
“As a ministry, we see this as an game changer that is aligned with one of the United Nations’ Six Priority Sustainable Development Goals, which is to Advance Opportunity and Impact for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). What Stargems Group is launching today will have a huge impact on the creation of employment in Botswana. An economy’s productivity rises as the number of educated workers increases as its skilled workmanship increases. It is not a secret that low skills perpetuate poverty and widen the inequality gap, therefore the development of skills has the potential to contribute significantly to structural transformation and economic growth by enhancing employability and helping the country become more competitive. We are grateful to see the emergence of industry players such as Stargems Group who have strived to create such opportunities that mitigate the negative effects of COVID-19 on the economy,” said the Minister of Minerals and Energy.
Business
Food import bill slightly declines
The latest figures released by Statistics Botswana this week shows that food import bill for Botswana slightly declined from around P1.1 billion in November 2022 to around P981 million in December during the same year.
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Business
Moody’s Reaffirms African Trade Insurance’s A3 Rating & Revises Outlook to Positive
Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”) has affirmed the A3 insurance financial strength rating (IFSR) of the African Trade Insurance Agency (ATI) for the fifth consecutive year and changed the outlook from stable to positive.
Moody’s noted that the change in outlook to positive reflects the strong growth in ATI’s membership base – that has resulted in improved portfolio diversification, strengthened capital adequacy, and the good profitability despite the challenging operating environment. In addition, ATI benefits from its preferred creditor status (PCS) amongst sovereign member states which protects it from the risk of default by member sovereigns through securing recoveries against claims paid on guarantees.
The strong membership and equity growth are some of the key considerations for the consistent reinstatement of ATI’s A/Stable rating by Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s rating, over the years. Also supporting the rating affirmation are; consistent improvement in financial performance, commitment of its shareholders who continue to uphold the preferred creditor status, its high quality and conservative investment portfolio as well as strong relationships with a number of global reinsurers that provide significant risk-bearing capacity.
With the change in outlook to “positive”, ATI is now better placed to provide enhanced support to its member countries, attract additional shareholding and grow its portfolio. The positive outlook is an indication that if ATI continues to demonstrate its strong underwriting performance and ability to recover claims under the preferred creditor arrangements, among other factors, an upward pressure towards an upgrade may be generated. The Moody’s press release can be accessed from here
Commenting on the rating, Africa Trade Insurance Chief Executive Officer Manuel Moses said: “This positive revision is in line with our 2023 – 2027 strategic objectives in which we set to improve our rating outlook to positive in the first year, and achieve an upgrade of at least “AA”/Stable rating by both Moody’s and S&P within this Strategic Plan period. We aim to achieve this by doubling our exposures and increasing our capital to more than USD1 billion.”
ATI’s mandate is to provide trade-credit and political risk insurance, as well as other risk mitigation products to its member countries and related public and private sector actors. These insurance products not only directly encourage and facilitate foreign direct investment as well as local private sector investment in our member countries, but also contribute to intra- and extra-African trade.
About The African Trade Insurance Agency
ATI was founded in 2001 by African States to cover trade and investment risks of companies doing business in Africa. ATI predominantly provides Political Risk, Credit Insurance and, Surety Insurance. Since inception, ATI has supported US$78 billion worth of investments and trade into Africa. For over a decade, ATI has maintained an ‘A/Stable’ rating for Financial Strength and Counterparty Credit by Standard & Poor’s, and in 2019, ATI obtained an A3/Stable rating from Moody’s, which has now been revised to A3/Positive.