25 Jun 2014

Debswana Diamond Company is a key player in the economy of Botswana as it contributes significantly to the country’s export earnings, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and government revenues.

Debwana managing director, Mr Balisi Bonyongo said in his welcome remarks at the Debswana’s 45th anniversary celebrations in Gaborone on June 24. Mr Bonyongo said Debswana was also the largest private sector employer in Botswana, with more than 5 000 staff members.

These, he said, were mainly found in the company’s mining operations, along with just over 6 000 contractors and about 300 staff members based at Debswana corporate centre.

Through the Debswana scholarship programme, Mr Bonyongo said the company had rained hundreds of citizens by sending them to universities around the world in an effort to create human capital.

In addition, Deswana mining director said “Debswana has also touched many lives through our Corporate Citizenship programme which has an annual budget of P15 million. This is a multi-fold increase from the first donation of R25 made to Our Lady of the Desert School in Francistown in the early 1970s.”

He said the Government of Botswana deserved to be applauded for the prudent way in which it had invested revenues from diamonds in socio-economic development, notably in health services, education, the building of roads and other infrastructure.

“The foresight of our leaders back in the late 1960s, to create a partnership between the government and De Beers which gave birth to Debswana, also deserves accolades,” he said. Today, this relationship, Mr Bonyongo said was probably the longest and most successful public private partnership in Africa that created value for both the country and the private enterprise. Just like diamonds, he said Debswana has also become a source of national pride.

Furthermore, he said the company’s responsibility towards the nation also focused on environmental sustainability, to ensure the use of available resources by future generations. 
To achieve this, Mr Bonyongo said the company conducted business in a way that minimised any negative impact on the environment in partnership with the communities around its mines, whom he said had valuable input in the company’s environmental management programmes.

Debswana managing director expressed appreciation to Debswana employees, past and present, for the hard work they had put into their different roles to make the company the greatest it was today. He also urged them to keep up the good work and take the company to greater heights.

Due to logistical challenges, Mr Bonyongo said Debswana was celebrating its anniversary in a low key manner. He said the big event for the commemoration of Debswana’s 45th anniversary had been postponed to November 7 and 8, 2014. ENDS