2008 PRESS BRIEFING ON FOBEX & ITEX PRESENTED BY THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF FAIRGROUND HOLDINGS, MR. MIKE MONTSHIWA ON 27TH JUNE 2008, AT FAIRGROUND HOLDINGS (PTY).LTD
Good morning ladies and gentlemen and I warmly welcome you to this press briefing on the progress of the 2008 Food & Beverage Exhibition (FOBEX) and the Information Technology Exhibition (ITEX).
Allow me to start by alluding to the fact that countries of the world committed to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Of particular reference to this press briefing is the eighth MDG that reads: Develop global partnerships for development. This is a blueprint for nations to empower their citizens through galvanising eight thematic areas that impede the growth of the human race. The eighth MDG calls upon the private sector to make available the benefits of new technologies - especially information and communications technologies (ICT). 2015 is the deadline.
Public Private Partnerships are not a new phenomena in the development arena as they have in the past transformed economies such as India into ICT superpowers. Gleaning off the pillars of our national Vision, it is the dream of this nation to become a regional ICT hub by the year 2016 and the Government has come up with a comprehensive ICT Policy aptly called Maitlamo in order to achieve sustainable ICT-driven transformation and national growth.
This policy is geared at cultivating an enabling environment for the growth of the country’s ICT industry, providing universal service and nationwide access to information and communication facilities, and positioning Botswana as a global competitor in the ICT sector.
Maitlamo is aimed at engendering a populace that is well prepared to participate, learn and innovate in an information and knowledge based society and an economy that is diversified and attractive to foreign investment. ICT is a tool to create a favourable investment climate. Countries such as Malaysia and Singapore have deployed ICT-enabled strategies to increase their regional and global positioning and this has helped them to increase their foreign direct investment dramatically. Therefore it is important for me to mention that ICT is a developmental goal that is crucial in achieving both broad-based economic growth and specific development goals.
ICT consumption in Botswana’s domestic market is relatively low, with only less than 1% of the population using the internet (60 000), and over 500 websites hosted by over ten ISPs in Botswana. This low ICT diffusion has been attributed to low penetration of electrical services in the home, high cost of internet connectivity, high cost of basic computing hardware and little local content creation.
However, despite all these challenges, the estimated annual turnover of Botswana’s internet and data market in 2005 was between 60 – 70 million, about 3.9% of gross turnover of the then three telecommunication operators. There are no new released figures in this regard, but I presume that this figure has gone up to date.
To this end, I would like to applaud the Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology for the milestones it has achieved in attaining the MDGs since it was created in 2002.
In September 2007, the Ministry embarked on the Electronic Government (e-government) project to digitize Government content, identify priority services and translate content into Setswana and avail the content online. This five-year project will avail most Government services online through the informational, transactional and transformational user-friendly customer centric portal.
In addition, Botswana will have an innovation hub that will make her competitive globally in the world of science and technology. The hub will be the centre for ICT research and development thereby accelerating the ideals of Vision 2016 of becoming a regional hub for information communications technology.
Ladies and gentlemen, our Government has laid a solid foundation for the achievement of the Vision 2016 goals. It is important for the private sector to heed the call of the MDGs to make available the benefits of ICT to the citizens of this country. The private sector has a crucial role to play in the Botswana ICT landscape. In our endeavour to create a knowledge-based economy, it is imperative that collaborative alliances be formed amongst academia, commerce, trade, industry, and Government in order for ICT to generate exports, foreign currency, create employment and attract foreign direct investment.
As Fairground Holdings, we aim to continue with our mandate of stimulating economic growth through research as well as developing exhibitions that leverage national objectives of economic diversification. FOBEX and ITEX are crucial support tools that enhance Government policies, highlight achievements of key players as well as promote stakeholder participation in order to realize the pillars of Vision 2016.
Following last year’s integration of the two exhibitions, we will use the same strategy this year of having a bi-dimensional exhibition that will be held from the 31st of July to the 2nd of August 2008. This time, ITEX will be held in Boipuso Hall whilst FOBEX will be held in Ditshupo Hall.
Exhibitors for ITEX will be segmented in the following categories of; Business Solutions, IT Solutions, Office Automation & Supplies, Communication/Telecommunications and Consumer Electronics.
In our quest for continual improvement, we have added value to the exhibition with the introduction of exciting events. In the spirit of collaboration, partnering, and consultation, Fairground Holdings, Ministry of Science & Technology, and the Botswana Information Technology Society (BITS) teamed up to come up with the ITEX IT Conference. This Private-Public-Partnership is geared at reinforcing existing strategies; offer opportunities for public and private stakeholders to benchmark, learn, share experiences and networking thus strengthening Botswana’s ICT policy implementation drive and increase global competitiveness of the country. This, we believe is in line with this year’s theme for ITEX and FOBEX that reads: Networking, Connecting and Entertaining.
The conference has four thematic areas that cover:
- Implementation and usage of e-Government projects
- Outsourcing opportunities in Botswana
- Emerging ICT security threats to Botswana such as cybercrime, fraud, spam, viruses and others
- Opportunities in the Innovation Hub
- The role of the private sector in the effective implementation of national ICT projects
- Technology convergence and mobile technologies
Eminent industry experts will give presentations on the above thematic areas and the conference will accommodate a forum for further consultation, debate and discussion.
Fairground Holdings would like to take this opportunity to invite the media to attend this inaugural one day ITEX conference that will be officially opened by the Honourable Minister of Communications, Science and Technology, Mrs. Penelomi Venson-Moitoi on the 31st of July 2008.
We are proud to have on board Orange as a Diamond Sponsor of this exhibition and our sincere gratitude also goes to Botswana Development Corporation and IFSC.
Ladies and Gentlemen, today Fairground Holdings is proud to launch the ITEX website. The address is www.itex.co.bw. Please do visit the site for further information.
On FOBEX, we all know that the Food and Beverage industry is grind to the mill for the development of the hospitality industry, anywhere in the world. Food and beverage is a reflection of a peoples’ rich cultural heritage. FOBEX is undoubtedly a key player in the tourism industry in Botswana, our third largest foreign currency earner.
This winter food and beverage exhibition boasts perennial support from organizations that are in the industry and beyond. FOBEX has become a key platform for local, regional and international hospitality businesses to showcase their service delivery as well as to promote the necessary linkages. Over the years, we have witnessed industry innovations, human and technological developments, product demonstrations and new ways of preparing and serving food.
This year FOBEX will host exhibitors in the categories of Food & Beverage; Food Catering, Food Technology; Hospitality Services and Retail.
In line with our innovation and product development goal, we have also added an entertaining and competition dimension to the event. We invite all stakeholders to come and witness Chefs battling it out on the hot stoves where they will compete on how to prepare set menus.
If you can’t handle the heat in the kitchen, you are promptly invited to admire the skill of our local bar tenders as they spin the bottle and mix those tropical cocktails in record time.
On Friday the 1st of August, we will hold the first ever FOBEX Cultural Night where different traditional dishes from different parts of the world will be served. This occasion will also host a variety of traditional music from around the globe.
We urge you to come and savour new styles of wining and dining and experience the traditional and modern arts of the industry at FOBEX. Your ultimate experience.
Last but not least, allow me ladies and gentlemen to call upon exhibitors to come and book space with us as we are still open for enquiries.
I thank you. |
