Wilderness Botswana hosts Local Supplier Expo

Wilderness Botswana celebrated its successful first Local Supplier Expo held at our offices in Maun on 13 March 2024, marking a significant milestone in our commitment to supporting local business growth. We want to support more Botswana businesses as suppliers and vendors into our camps, from fresh produce to curios, food and beverages, ceramics, uniforms, linen, towels, engine lubricants and more.

The Expo was officially launched by Kabelo Ebineng, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Entrepreneurship.

The Expo welcomed a dynamic array of over 110 vendors from various industries, and showcased the incredible depth of talent within Botswana. Local entrepreneurs had the opportunity to network, collaborate, and showcase their products and services.

Wilderness Botswana’s commitment to sourcing local products continues to be a priority, as detailed in our latest Botswana Impact report, with 85% of purchases of goods and services made from local suppliers in 2023. The target, Wilderness Botswana Board Chairman, Kabelo Binns shared, is to steadily and meaningfully increase the proportion of locally sourced goods and services.

Joe Matome, Wilderness Botswana Caretaker Managing Director, expressed his enthusiasm for the event, stating, “We are thrilled to have hosted this inaugural Local Supplier Expo and to witness the incredible level of interest and energy from vendors and partners who share our ambition to enhance the empowerment of local business. This initiative is evidence of our unwavering commitment to promoting local entrepreneurship and fostering sustainable development within the communities we operate in. By providing a platform for citizen-owned businesses to thrive, we aim to create lasting socio-economic benefits while enriching the overall tourism experience for our guests. In helping make this a success, we thank our sponsors and partners at Stanbic Bank Botswana, and of course all of our esteemed partners from Government and the private sector alike for sharing our vision and determination”.