Govt should listen to entrepreneurs – not themselves

More serious support is required for entrepreneurs if they are to help in lifting the economy in generating the much-needed jobs. That will start with Government listening to the entrepreneurs than talking to them and about them. The long season of turning assumptions into policies would have to stop for things to get better. A local entrepreneur encapsulated the plight of local businesses succinctly when he rightly took a swipe at senior Government officials who dominate every platform where issues affecting businesspeople are discussed. He told the President to his face at the High-Level Business Forum at the Gaborone International Convention Centre (GICC) on Tuesday. He frowned at the line-up of the speakers – “Looking at the programme it is clear that the majority of speakers are well paid senior government officials with no room for entrepreneurs. We often talk about this as entrepreneurs.” In Botswana men and women in suits who have barely known the intrigues and challenges of running a business are calling the shots theoretically directing how businesses must run. They spend millions annually conferencing among themselves – barely giving the real entrepreneurs podium space to share how tough the terrain is and to recommend best interventions. It is these well paid, chauffeured and well entertained men and women who because of their lopsided view of business prioritise that which they must not. They spend too much time on paperwork theoretically imagining that written words some how help in shaping and running businesses. As things stand it is not the theory that can turn things around. It is the practical solutions. For example, last year Government barely cared when its paying systems failed to timeously disburse funds to the businesses for work done. It didn’t matter that such contributed to near collapse of some businesses. Even now when the system is reportedly working properly the Government Enclave leadership has not shown any promptness in processing invoices for businesses. The poor businesses have and continue to reel from severe cash flow challenges while on the other hand Government agencies are uncompromising in demanding various levies.The situation in Botswana is worsened by the fact that Government is a key source of business. No local business easily survives outside government procurement – and so when the leadership becomes slow and simply negligent in addressing key concerns of the businesses, they pronounce the death kneel on such. It is even more painful for entrepreneurs when they have to beg public servants for payment of the work done. Some civil servants or those in the state run corporations have not even shied away from asking for bribes so that they can quickly process an invoice. Its a sad debacle since the leadership is far removed from the daily concerns of business – yet it is they expect payment of taxes from this class. In public pronouncements, the leadership dub the private sector the engine of the economy but in terms of fully supporting and enabling the sector to perform they is quite often very little to point to. 

The new Government of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) should take heed and provide an environment where the private sector can flourish. Credit to President Duma Boko’s Government is that they have at least opened the channels of communication by means of resuscitating the engagement between the private sector and Government with the High-Level Business Forum. The previous government had damped the High-Level Business Meetings and effectively chose to do as they wished – with wayward assumptions about what the sector required. They became notorious for declaring holidays at the slightest excuse without having done sufficient due diligence on the impact of such on business flow. This is even more worrying since Government is slow in bringing in changes that could speed up payments and transactions between banks which has become more urgent since the banning of cheques. The more than 24 hours waiting time for transactions between different banks ought to be relooked at as this is affecting business and individuals. Boko’s government should remove government from anticompetitive behaviours which sees it attempting to compete with the private sector. Government should quickly stop lip service and work on a plan to boost economic performance through various incentives from tax amnesties to setting up SMMEs funding that can help save the many companies that are now on the verge of closure. 

If the government is serious about job creation, then it can not be complacent in the midst of many closures that the country is facing. With the new financial year starting – the first one ever for the UDC government – we can no longer listen to statements that the government is broke. They have been elected to solve problems and the budget that is being rolled out should demonstrate such. 

‘Democratising wealth creation’ as per President Boko’s pronouncement should not be just a nice cliche from his mouth but it must begin to show in the lives of our people. 

That starts with job creation – it is the private sector that can ably deliver such. It is time government reduce the voice of well cared for and lavished technocrats and take heed of the voice of Business Botswana and set up enabling programmes for business growth. Lip service will not take us anywhere.