The Botswana Process Outsourcing (BPO) has the potential to create more jobs and address the current unemployment concern, particularly among the youth, given the unemployment challenges the country is currently facing.

Chief Operations Officer at Botswana Investment Trade Centre (BITC), Mr Reginald Selelo said this when welcoming stakeholders at a BPO roundtable forum.

He says Information Technology (IT) graduates together with Form 5 leavers, who are currently unemployed are available in the markets, hence the need to re-invigorate BPO to absorb them.

Mr Selelo notes the time is fitting for BPO sector to be re-invigorated so that it can exist in Botswana as a sector that employs mostly the youth, who are available given the youth unemployment rate of 20 percent currently prevailing in Botswana.

He explains that the BPO sector has been identified as a key sector under the economic and transformation strategy that will turn Botswana into knowledge based economy.

As such, BITC encourages the current sector players to come together with one voice to lobby the government on the growth of BPO. The sector employs a significant number of people in South Africa and India.

Mr Selelo says the forum presented an opportunity for discussion between the local BPO industry player, key stakeholders and the private sector with the aim of igniting a coordinated sector promotion and investment attraction to converse on the enablers required for the BOP sector to grow in Botswana.

He says Outsource Botswana is a local BPO Industry Association that has a mandate to ensure growth of the sector, lobby for policy reforms as well as create investment and job opportunities in the sector.

Mr Selelo encourages other sector players to join Outsource Botswana Association, since it provides a unified voice in public policy and advocacy with a collective voice to regulators, public officials, researchers and funders.

He adds that forming an Association allows business owners to get to know one another, share resources, unite on important issues and develop new tools for securing their profitability and creating an atmosphere that encourages competition and growth.

While presenting the objectives of the BPO, Mr Boikutlo Bagwasi, BITC’s Manager for Financial & Business Services says the forum will provide a sector update from BITC perspective and key sector promotional initiatives by BITC.

He also says the debate will introduce proposed sector reforms and incentives, and appreciate the role of the Ministry of Transport and Communications in the BPO sector.

Furthermore, he highlights some of the objectives as being to appreciate promotional effort by other key stakeholders and the private sector, introduce Outsource Botswana and its interim committee and to form a foundation for a coordinated sector promotion effort.

Mr Moshie Ratsebe says the BPO sector has to be promoted in Botswana because it has the potential to contribute to economic growth and diversification, particularly in the business service sub-sector.

Still in that notion, he was of the view that Botswana has neutral English speaking accent, which is an advantage over other competing jurisdictions such as India.

He also notes that the country is not prone to climatic catastrophes and earthquakes like other geographies such as Philippines, a big market for international contact centres.

Mr Ratsebe adds that BPO should be promoted in Botswana because the country has a stable workforce and favourable labour conditions.