13 Aug 2026

Citizen Entrepreneurship Development Agency (CEDA) and Debswana have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at turning opportunities within the mining supply chain into sustainable citizen-owned enterprises which can create jobs and support local manufacturing.

In his remarks during the MoU signing ceremony in Gaborone on Wednesday, CEDA caretaker chief executive officer, Mr Khalala Mokefane said the partnership would focus on jointly identifying and developing commercially viable projects within and adjacent to the mining value chain, with the ultimate objective of strengthening local enterprises and contributing to a diversified, private sector-led and export-orientated economy.

The partnership, Mr Mokefane, said was anchored on the need for national resources to translate into citizen prosperity through ownership, participation in value chains, skills and sustainable businesses.

“This agreement is not simply about signing a document, but represents a commitment to turning opportunities into enterprises; enterprises into jobs and jobs into wealth for Botswana,” he said.

He said the partnership would pursue opportunities in various areas including agriculture, manufacturing, engineering services, processing, logistics, infrastructure, innovation and business services.

He explained that the intention was to build citizen enterprises that were not peripheral participants, but capable and competitive suppliers and industrial partners.

Mr Mokefane emphasised that successful enterprise development must be market-led, adding that the agreement would create a pipeline of commercially viable projects where demand was clear and financing could be more effective and businesses more sustainable.

Furthermore, CEDA caretaker CEO said the partnership would also explore a structured pathway from entrepreneurship orientation to business establishment and capitalisation, followed by post-launch mentoring and capacity building.

“Entrepreneurship is not created by capital alone; preparation, business planning, market access, mentorship and post-launch support are equally important,” he stressed.

Mr Mokefane said citizen businesses must meet and go beyond the requirements of large corporate buyers through strong governance, quality assurance, pricing discipline, financial management, safety and operational reliability.

Therefore, he said the partnership would go beyond financing to include supplier development, enterprise capacity building, knowledge transfer, access to markets and mobilisation of financial and technical support.

The success of the partnership, Mr Mokefane said, would be measured by the number of sustainable citizen enterprises created, jobs generated, procurement shifted to citizen suppliers, value retained locally and new productive industries established.

He said the Debswana’s mining towns must also be able to outlive the mines, calling for the social and economic ecosystems built around mining to transition into diversified and self-sustaining local economies.

For his remarks, Debswana CEO, Mr Andrew Motsomi, said the agreement would build on opportunities created through the company’s procurement and supply network, ‘particularly by enabling citizen businesses to leverage existing opportunities and reorient manufacturing activities around products supplied to the mine’.

Mr Motsomi said economic diversification required structured and deliberate action, strong partnerships, commercial discipline and long-term commitment to enterprise development.

He said the partnership would therefore, create a platform to identify, develop and commercialise opportunities that could contribute to sustainable economic growth.

The collaboration, he said, would adopt an ecosystem approach involving the private sector, government departments and institutions, entrepreneurs, investors and communities.

He said the ambition was to create an environment in which new enterprises could emerge, businesses could scale up and sustainable opportunities could develop.

“Debswana has dedicated around P20 million to its programme, generating more than 20 000 jobs, and that combining the company’s experience, networks and operational capabilities with CEDA’s enterprise development and financing expertise can create greater impact,” he said.

Together, Debswana CEO said the two entities could leverage their respective strengths to create stronger pathways for enterprises to access opportunities, build capacity, scale sustainably and contribute meaningfully to the country’s economic transformation. ends