Plans for the Free Zone at the Gaborone Airport, one of Botswana's SEZs established through the help of Jean-Paul Gauthier

In 2008-2009, Locus Founder and CEO Jean-Paul Gauthier helped the Government of Botswana develop its SEZ program through a Financial Services Center/Innovation Hub/SEZ Program Development and SEZ Law Drafting project. The project was carried out in partnership with the Commonwealth Secretariat while Jean-Paul was working with Bearing Point.

Jean-Paul helped the Ministry of Trade and Investment develop a draft SEZ Policy Framework, SEZ Law, Project Approach and Critical Path, and Governance and PPP Financing Framework. The work was based on a regulatory, econonmic, and policy assessment of Botswana's SEZ potential.

Key features of the project included:

Diversifying the economic and export base of Botswana beyond the diamond mining sector
Providing a hassle free business environment offering investors a competitive edge in world
Establishing a one stop, full service business environment catering to the needs businesses located within the SEZ
Creating business development opportunities for small, medium and micro-enterprise suppliers who meet the logistical and ancillary needs of SEZ enterprises
Developing a portfolio of public sector, private sector, and public-private partnerships (PPPs) with the SEZ as the market indicates
Developing SEZs integrated with domestic, regional, and international markets
Categorizing and coordinating business development within SEZs to promote inter-sectoral economies of scale
Providing SEZ incentive packages consistent with Botswana's domestic and international trade obligations
Developing SEZ labor laws consistent with ILO standards
Creating employment through countrywide development of SEZs