Ease of doing business in Botswana improving-DHL
Boitshepo Majube | Thursday April 24, 2014 10:57
At a press conference held in Gaborone recently, DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa managing director, Charles Brewer noted that clearance at Botswana border posts are improving. “Engagements we have had with the officials are bearing fruits, and we have started to see some improvements clearing at the border posts,’ he said.
Brewer said in facilitating trade in and out of Botswana with the rest of the world, they intend to contribute meaningfully in making the country more successful and assist in the economic diversification drive.
“Investment in our network capabilities still remains a core focus for DHL in Africa, with a number of fleet and facility upgrades scheduled for 2014,” he said. The recent World Bank survey ranked Botswana 120 out of 160 countries in the trade logistics. In 2012 survey, Botswana was ranked 68 out of 155 countries, with a score of 2.84, while in the 2014 survey Botswana scored 2.49.
The only sector that Botswana scored below hundred was in the logistics quality and competence in which it is ranked 99 out of 160 countries. In customs Botswana is ranked 112, infrastructure 125, internal shipment 129, tracking and tracing 127 and timeliness 103.
The World Bank report advices governments of the need to make long-term policy changes that improve and maintain the competitiveness of these services, consistent with fast-changing industry practices.
“So developing countries will have to not only consider the environmental footprint of their logistics, especially in trading with developed countries, but also revisit governance and operational models for environmentally friendly infrastructure and related transport modes, especially railways, that seem to perform poorly relative to those in the top performers,” the report states.
DHL country manager, Mokgethi Makgapha said they would continue engaging relevant stakeholders in Botswana with a view of further improving the business environment. “We are pleased with the level of cooperation we get from government,” he said.
Meanwhile, DHL has launched electronic proof of delivery (Epod) service in Botswana that can directly capture customer signatures on screen. The electronic signature capability eliminates the need for hard copy proof of delivery. Each Epod provides delivery details and an image of the receiver’s signature if captured digitally.