BMWU’s Leru Energy seeks market traction
Chakalisa Dube | Monday September 19, 2022 06:00
Leru is a 100% citizen-owned firm whose owners are Badirakhumo Investments, a BMWU company and Southern African Stones (Pty) Ltd, a private entity. The two companies enjoy equal shareholding in the energy company.
The new firm’s goal is to provide solutions in the oil and gas sector, as well as technologies for green energy, clean coal and other renewables as well as training. Leru plans to supply 10% or more of local mines’ fuel requirements, supplying lubricants, liquefied petroleum gas, industrial gas as well as medical-grade oxygen energy. The company is also targeting mining institutes operational in the country.
This week, Leru Energy CEO, Kelesitse Gilika said the process of setting up the company is gathering pace.
He said for this year, Leru’s main priority was to lay the foundation for the company.
“We have been having meetings with various mines and stakeholders across the country to introduce the company,” he told BusinessWeek. “We have also started the process of registering on their supplier database with a view of readying ourselves to supply them with our products once we have started operating.”
So far Leru has set up its office in Gaborone and has a staff complement of four people including the CEO and support staff.
“We also have consultants whom we have engaged to help us to roll out the strategy. “It is important not to populate the company structure since we are still setting up. “We will also be outsourcing some services such as auditing until the company is fully operational,” he explained.
The consultants are in areas of the company’s core business such as energy solutions, renewable energy, petroleum products – diesel, petrol, lubricants, gas, medical, industrial, medical, and training on energy and mining short courses.
“We also registered a gas company recently which has a general manager and three support staff members. The company will soon be fully operational,” the CEO said.
The strategy according to Gilika is that Leru should have gained significant market traction by 2026, at which point it should have penetrated the African market. By then it also intends to have established itself as an energy and mining institute admitting trainees from across Africa.
It also intends to have transitioned its products from coal to gas/liquid supplying the regional market. Gilika emphasised that more details on the company operations would be shared in due course.