The Botswana Development Corporation (BDC) has launched the Alosa Group of Companies which comprises Alosa Feeds and Alosa Biomass-Charcoal Briquettes and is managed by Samuel Ntshiwa in partnership with Tshegofatso Ntshiwa in Francistown on the 25th August 2022.
The animal feeds manufacturing and 100% citizen youth-owned company recently commenced operations, at a plant located in Dumela in Francistown, measuring approximately 1,400sqm. After beating off competition from 243 other entrants, Alosa Group was declared winners of the first-ever Botswana Development Corporation (BDC) Business Den and was awarded P500 000.00 funding on a grant basis accompanied by mentorship opportunities.
BDC launched its inaugural entrepreneurship development programme called The Business Den in 2020. This programme aims to reach out to budding, ambitious, and self-driven youth entrepreneurs, to allow them to secure grant funding with mentorship and networking opportunities. The competition was opened to young citizen entrepreneurs between the ages of 18-35, with ideas for either a new or existing business seeking expansion opportunities.
“We are pleased to have launched this initiative, as Botswana’s main investment arm with a mandate to fund commercially viable projects. This will evidently assist our young entrepreneurs in their desire to take their business concepts to the next level. The competition was open to businesses across all sectors, to align with our mandate of investing in commercially viable projects in all sectors of the economy. We are confident in the results that will be delivered by this project as it will fulfill the sustainable development goals for Botswana and reduce the national import bill to become self- sufficient in the production of animal feeds. Our wish is for this country to transform from being largely an importing and consuming country; to being a producer and an exporting country”, said BDC Managing Director, Cross Kgosidiile.
BDC remains fully committed to fundamentally contributing to the development of viable, competitive, and profitable manufacturing industry. Through Alosa Group of Companies, BDC will be fulfilling its mandate of Promoting Citizen and Youth Economic Empowerment; Creating sustainable economic diversification, and Creating jobs for Batswana.
Alosa Feeds commenced production in February 2022, with the initial production of mixed fowl (10kg and 50 kg bags). The company commenced operations by retailing other brand products including chicken feeds such as 50kg broiler growers and starter feed, which are sourced from Irvine’s Botswana. This was done to leverage existing brands that the market is familiar with. Furthermore, the company has other products/stock feeds such as lucerne, maize-bran, and supplements (salt; protein, phosphate, tick and fly blocks). In June 2022, the company commenced the production of pig feed, Which will be retailed in 50kg bags. Alosa is the only company in the North of Botswana producing pig feed therefore there is high demand for the product.
