Gaborone – Informal traders in Gaborone have sharpened their business skills through an interactive workshop focused on building and growing sustainable enterprises with the support of Coca-Cola Beverages Botswana (CCBB). 

The workshop was conducted by consultancy Pretinum Enterprises (Pty) Ltd in partnership with CCBB, a subsidiary of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa. The trainers used practical exercises and team competitions to illustrate concepts and make the training more practical in a highly interactive and engaging format. 

A total of 76 small-scale entrepreneurs participated in the workshop, which covered topics including understanding business models, aligning operations to increase efficiency and productivity, developing effective and targeted marketing strategies, setting smart business goals, financial planning, cost management, collaboration and networking, record-keeping, banking, building credit history, and business formalisation following Botswana’s laws and regulations. 

CCBB general manager, David Chait said the company aimed to create greater shared opportunity for the business and the communities it served across the value-chain through economic inclusion initiatives such as the entrepreneur training.  

“Opportunity is more than just money, it’s about a better future for people and their communities everywhere on the African continent,” said Chait. 

“We aim to create inclusive growth opportunities for women, youth, and people with disabilities by defining a consistent way of implementing economic inclusion programmes, drawing on leading practice for implementing our programmes.  

“The success of these programmes will be defined by the extent to which we boost income, unlock sustainable earning potential, improve skills and business knowledge for our target groups, resulting in access to economic opportunities. 

“Whether donating money, our time or our expertise, we take our responsibility to the communities we call home seriously,” Chait said.