Chobe Connect

Congratulations are in order.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗿𝘀. 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗼 𝗗. 𝗕𝗼𝗸𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘁

The Special Economic Zones Authority (SEZA) warmly congratulates Mrs. Matshidiso D. Bokole on her appointment as Permanent Secretary to the President and Secretary to Cabinet.

We have full confidence in her strong credentials, extensive experience, and sound leadership, which will undoubtedly contribute to advancing Botswana’s national development agenda.

We wish her every success in this important role and look forward to her continued service and leadership in driving progress for our nation.

𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮: 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗼-𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝘂𝗯

The story of Pandamatenga is no longer just about growing grain. It is about building an integrated agro-industrial ecosystem capable of feeding Botswana, creating jobs, attracting investment, and supplying regional markets.

At the centre of this transformation stands the state-of-the-art Pandamatenga grain silos, a world-class infrastructure that has become the strategic backbone of the Pandamatenga Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

Widely regarded as among the finest grain storage facilities in Botswana and the region, these silos are far more than just storage facilities. They are critical enablers of agricultural productivity, food security, agro-processing, and cross border trade.

Equipped with advanced aeration systems, moisture-control technology, grain pre-cleaning facilities, fumigation capabilities, and modern safety systems, the silos ensure grain quality is preserved to the highest standards from arrival to dispatch.

During last year’s bumper harvest, the silos were instrumental in providing capacity and technical capability needed to efficiently manage large grain volumes, minimise post-harvest losses, and secure value for both farmers and the nation.

But the true significance of the silos extends well beyond storage.

They are the foundation upon which Pandamatenga’s beneficiation and industrialisation agenda is being built. The availability of reliable grain storage, coupled with a high capacity grain dryer currently under construction, is creating the conditions necessary for investment in agro-processing industries.

Already, the agro-processing vision for Pandamatenga is beginning to take shape. One investor is currently establishing a cooking oil manufacturing plant in the area, leveraging Pandamatenga’s substantial sunflower production.

The Silos will play a critical role in supporting this investment by providing the storage capacity and quality management systems required to ensure a reliable and consistent supply of sunflower and other grains throughout the year.

Additional prospects exist in flour milling, stock-feed manufacturing, grain cleaning and packaging, pulse processing, seed production, and a range of other value-added agricultural industries.

These opportunities are underpinned by the scale and ambition of the Pandamatenga Special Economic Zone, which has been specifically designed to support agro-industrial development and value addition.

The SEZ, measuring approximately 96,500 hectares of agro-production land, including 56,500 hectares currently under cultivation (44,500 hectares of commercial farming and around 12,000 hectares farmed by smallholder producers), is a potential true bread basket for Botswana and the region.

A further 40,000 hectares has been earmarked for expansion under the Agro Zambezi initiative, while more than 100 hectares have been reserved specifically for agro-processing industries.

Pandamatenga’s strategic location further enhances its investment appeal. Situated near the borders of Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, and connected to the Kazungula Bridge Corridor, the region provides efficient access to regional markets and supply chains across the SADC region.

As a Special Economic Zone, investors also benefit from a highly competitive incentive package, including a corporate tax rate of just 5% for the first five years and 10% thereafter, duty-free importation of machinery and production inputs, and streamlined business licensing and investor support services.

Combined with fertile soils, strong agricultural output, expanding infrastructure, and growing logistics connectivity through the Kazungula Bridge and the proposed Mosetse–Kazungula Rail Line, these advantages position Pandamatenga and indeed Chobe District as Botswana’s premier destination for agro-industrial investment.

The Grain Silos therefore represent far more than storage capacity. They symbolise Botswana’s transition from a producer of raw agricultural commodities to a competitive agro-industrial economy that adds value locally, creates employment, strengthens food security, and competes effectively in regional and global markets.

SEZA is actively seeking investors, developers, and strategic partners to unlock opportunities across the Pandamatenga agro-production and agro-processing value chain.

Reach out today:

📞 Tel: 370 8300
📱 WhatsApp: 7227 9690
📧 Email: [email protected] [email protected]

𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘀: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮 𝗜𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘀𝘄𝗮𝗻𝗮'𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 (Part 1)

The Pandamatenga Grain Silos project, developed through a partnership between the Special Economic Zones Authority (SEZA_Botswana) and the Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board (BAMB), is proving to be a strategic investment with far-reaching benefits for the country.

While BAMB provided the technical expertise and specifications that have made the facility operationally successful, SEZA's interest in the project stems from its commitment to promoting value addition and agro-processing within the Pandamatenga Special Economic Zone (SEZ), and across the country.

The new silos have added 60,000 metric tonnes of grain storage capacity, bringing Pandamatenga's total storage capacity to 90,000 metric tonnes. This significant expansion provides safe, efficient and large scale grain storage, helping to preserve the quality of produce while reducing post-harvest losses.

Most importantly, the project is already making a difference for commercial farmers in Pandamatenga. With reliable storage infrastructure now in place, farmers can focus on production without the constant worry of post-harvest losses or inadequate storage facilities.

Beyond storage, the project lays an important foundation for the development of a more sophisticated agricultural value chain. Additionally, the silos play a pivotal role in advancing the Botswana Mercantile Exchange (BMX) by ensuring consistent quality, quantity, and storage of grain, which in turn supports structured grain trading, improved market access and greater price transparency.

As Botswana continues to strengthen food security and build a competitive agribusiness sector, projects such as the Pandamatenga Grain Silos demonstrate the power of strategic partnerships in driving sustainable economic growth.

𝗡𝗕: 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵 1 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 3-𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴.

𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗕𝗘 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗧: 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱, 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀.