06 Dec 2020

The W-Summit continues to be a significant platform for bringing together delegates from all over the world to celebrate and affirm women’s diversity and talent, First Lady Neo Masisi has said.

Officiating at a virtual De Beers W-Summit that formed part of last week’s fifth edition of Diamond Impact Week, Ms Masisi said it brought together women with different stories and perspectives.

Ms Masisi, who is the summit patron, said the platform offered women an opportunity to engage and collaborate in business and strategic leadership across various sectors and countries.

It also enabled women to showcase personal, professional and business successes and milestones, provided a networking platform for women in business and strategic leadership to create linkages, alliances and strategic partnerships as well as a safe space where women could talk openly about their challenges, she said.   

Ms Masisi said the summit also demonstrated the commitment of corporate citizens such as DeBeers Group in supporting Botswana’s economic aspirations and the need to develop and motivate various segments of society.   

On gender-based violence (GBV), Ms Masisi said it had brought to the fore long existing power imbalances in societies. 

“GBV is not only a blatant violation of human rights, it has consequences for the victims, their families, and nations as a whole. It is for this reason that it has to be tackled and tackled in a speedy manner! Let us also give thought to this “What is my personal contribution in ending this shadow pandemic?”

The First Lady called upon leaders and businesses and locations to use various platforms to come up with solutions to the scourge.

She urged women to continue to rise in their capacity as leaders in civil society, private sector, public sector and other spheres, to look at how they could help each other thrive.

Ms Masisi said she was aware of the challenges experienced by disadvantaged groups which had been exacerbated by COVID-19.

Women in particular, she stated, felt the most burden during the pandemic. 

“The world has reached a point where giving, caring and showing compassion to others, has become a compulsory assignment for all of us at the individual level,” she said. The summit attracted delegates from DeBeers partner countries of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Canada as well as those from USA, Europe, UK, UAE and South East Asia. 

Held under the theme ‘Leading In 2020 - The Challenges of Resilience, Stability and Balance’, it was aimed at celebrating women in business and leadership showcasing how they were breaking barriers globally. 

It also celebrated how women in leadership this year had adapted to the dynamics of an evolving environment and how they can support each other to create resilience, stability and balance in business environments.

Panelists included Lucara Diamond managing director, Ms Naseem Lahri, South Africa’s Old Mutual Limited director, Ms Maserame Mouyeme, Private Collection Botswana managing director, Ms Patronella Matumo and Kuwait Balsam International founder, Ms Balsam Al Ayoub who discussed barriers that hindered women’s success including GBV and various cultural practices and norms. Ends