--- Palapye, 10^th October 2019- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Botswana hosted an event to share and celebrate its achievements after the launch late last year of its new innovative Business Supplier Development Programme (SDP). This special event was themed “Supporting Local Business through SDP”. The event focused on acknowledging and recognizing all the Buyers, Suppliers and SDP Consultants, who have formed partnerships to diversify the economy and create jobs in year one of the SDP. The event was attended by the Honorable Minister Eric Molale (Minister of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security) - Honorable Assistant Minister Moiseraele Goya (Ministry of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology) - Traditional Leaders - All the 7 regional and local Buyers, 50 Suppliers, 18 Consultants on the SDP programme - Financial institutions - Cooperating partners - Senior Government Officials from many ministries - Other potential large companies and SMEs partners going forward - Media

UNDP Botswana, together with its local partners, rolled out a Business Supplier Development Programme (SDP) at the end of 2018, as a new initiative to partner with the private sector to diversify the economy, create jobs, and promote the concept of buying locally while connecting globally. The SDP is modelled around similar successful programmes implemented by UNDP South America and Asia. The objectives of the programme include; development of the productive capacity of SMEs, improving their competitiveness to become efficient and competitive Suppliers to Buyers, creation of demand-based, market-driven opportunities for SMEs to increase their competitiveness, to connect Suppliers to larger markets (locally as well as abroad), and to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country. The SDP programme is focusing on the following sectors: Mining, Agro Processing, Projects (Infrastructure), Leather and Textiles. This creates jobs and diversifies the economy, while reducing poverty and inequality

The UNDP’s SDP forms a partnership of 3 key players, i.e large regional and local firms (Buyers), local small to medium businesses (Suppliers) and UNDP specially trained business consultants. UNDP actively engages with potential Buyers and encourages them to become a partner in diversifying the economy, through seeking their willingness to buy from local suppliers (SMEs). Potential Suppliers are identified and invited to be part of SDP following agreed criteria. Specially UNDP trained SDP business consultants are allocated on average one Buyer and three Suppliers to work with over a 10 month plus period. During this period the consultant will mentor the Supplier through the 6 stages of the SDP business methodology (see below) to ensure they can supply the Buyer with the goods to the standards required by the Buyer for local and regional markets. This tripartite partnership with the business consultant forming the bridge, as well as the technical knowledge, between the Buyers and Suppliers has proved to be the trigger that have given the confidence to the Buyers and Suppliers that both of their needs can be met. This has also given confidence to the financial institutions that their investments would also have a lower risk.

UNDP has trained in year one of SDP, 30 local business consultants on the SDP methodology which captures best practices in managing small to medium businesses. Successful consultants are allocated Buyers and Suppliers to form a partnership.---

An event to share and celebrate UNDP’s Business Supplier Development Programme achievements