BOTSWANA’S GREEN SHOOTS: Wilderness sows seeds of shared prosperity
Kabelo Binns, the guiding hand behind the Wilderness Botswana board, recently stepped onto the stage at the second annual Local Supplier Expo, his words ringing with a sense of profound purpose.
This was a vibrant testament to the magic that unfolds when progress is woven with the threads of intentionality, inclusivity, and a deep-rooted partnership with the heart of Botswana.
“I stand before you today, not just as a chairperson, but as a fellow Motswana who believes that the most powerful form of progress is shared progress.” This sentiment, he explained, is the very beating heart of the expo.
Last year, the inaugural expo was a bold leap of faith, a clear ambition to forge a transparent platform that could truly reshape the landscape for citizen-owned enterprises in the tourism sector.
The results were nothing short of humbling and inspiring. Over 110 Batswana vendors joined the fold, and the impact was immediate, like a wellspring suddenly bubbling to the surface.
A staggering P6.3 million in contracts flowed into local businesses within the first year, a sum set to swell past P8 million by the end of 2025. These weren’t fleeting transactions; they were strategic alliances, planting roots for long-term partnerships.
He painted a vivid picture with the example of Okavango Essence, a citizen and women-owned gem from Maun. What began as a hopeful pitch has since blossomed into a thriving partnership, their all-natural products soon to grace 14 Wilderness camps across the country. “That,” Binns declared, “is the kind of value this platform unlocks a true symphony of progress through partnership.”
Building on this powerful momentum, this year’s expo has cast its net wider and deeper. Expanding into a two-day event, the first day is a vibrant marketplace of supplier engagement. But the second day, Binns emphasized, is where the true alchemy happens: a dedicated space for capacity-building, mentorship, and genuine knowledge-sharing.
Wilderness isn’t just opening doors; they’re providing the tools for Batswana to not just step in, but truly thrive. It’s the difference between a fleeting transaction and a lasting transformation, a commitment to not “boil the ocean” but to “raise its level drop by precious drop.”
This ambitious vision, however, requires strong allies. Binns paused to acknowledge a landmark development that promises to propel this work even further: a new Memorandum of Understanding with Stanbic Bank Botswana.
This isn’t just ink on paper; it’s a game-changing financial model, offering Wilderness-nominated local suppliers’ direct access to commercial funding based on their contracts. “If you earn a place in our procurement chain,” Binns explained, “you now have a clear, accessible pathway to the capital you need to grow.” This groundbreaking initiative is already clearing hurdles, fostering stronger businesses and a healthier tourism value chain.
“We, at Wilderness, are not here to tick boxes,” Binns stated, his voice resonating with conviction. “We are here to build with and for Batswana.” Their commitment is not mere rhetoric; it is woven into the very fabric of their operations and deeply personal.
Since 2016, Wilderness has poured over P700 million into Botswana, with P1.8 billion injected into local procurement and P1.2 billion in citizen wages over the last decade. These figures, he stressed, are significant not just for their magnitude, but because they are local, reflecting a business model where conservation is a shared journey, not a singular destination.
With an exciting new frontier in agriculture, a “farm-to-camp” fresh produce initiative underway in Shorobe, Wilderness continues to weave deeper connections between their camps and communities. The Local Supplier Expo, Binns concluded, is no longer an experiment; it is a vibrant, unstoppable movement, echoing the spirit of Botswana itself.
