Competition Authority Hosts Fourth National Competition Conference

The Competition Authority will hold the Fourth Annual National Competition Conference at the Gaborone International Convention Centre (GICC) on Thursday 26th March, 2015. The conference will be held under the theme; ‘’Competition and the Supply Chain’’. The conference will be officially opened by the Minister of Trade and Industry, Honourable Vincent T. Seretse, and the keynote address will be delivered by Ms. Regina Sikalesele-Vaka, the Chief Executive Officer of Bramer Life Insurance.  

The purpose of the conference is to create a platform for the Competition Authority and the Competition Commission to engage with key stakeholders. It will draw participants from business, tourism, agriculture, labour, non-governmental organisations, civil society, government, academia and participants from the political sphere. The conference will deliberate on the impact of the interventions that have been made by the Competition Authority and the Competition Commission on the country’s economy. 

This year’s conference will be structured in three panel discussions. The first panel discussion will feature Botswana’s retail giants such as Sefalana, Choppies, Spar and Woolworths; and their representatives will discuss the supply chain and the state of competition in the retail industry. The second panel discussion will see producers such as the Millers Association of Botswana, Botswana Exporters and Manufacturing Association, and the Consumer Watchdog critique the supply chain in the Botswana market.

There would be no supply chain to talk of without considering public procurement. Government and public funded bodies handle tenders worth billions of pula annually and these are accessed through long and often complex supply chain networks. To understand competition in this critical area, the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board, (PPADB) Botswana Confederation of Commerce, Industry and Manpower, (BOCCIM) and the Competition Authority, would each help to unpack how public procurement adds value to the supply chain and facilitates competition.     

Based on the deliberations, the conference will adopt resolutions to further promote fair competition in Botswana’s economy, and enhance a culture of competition.