Debswana's CEEP supported 18,000 jobs
Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Tuesday December 2, 2025 09:52
Speaking whilst at the first-ever Boteti Manufacturing Expo, Maoketsa said that supporting citizen-owned businesses is evidenced by the achievement of a P23 billion citizen spend and 18,000 jobs supported, milestones delivered in their CEEP five-year strategy, which ended in 2024.
He further noted that they had learned great lessons in the past strategy window, and these learnings shaped their thinking and actions going forward.
As such, he stated that for 2025 and beyond, they were transitioning to a targeted mission of industry development.
According to Maoketsa, under this transition, their key focus was on local manufacturing and the establishment of a repairs and rebuild centre.
'We have so much conviction that these two initiatives will drive economic transformation and create the much-needed meaningful jobs for Boteti and beyond,' he continued.
He further said that research had established that sustainable economic prosperity is built on the foundation of strong local industries that create jobs, foster innovation, and retain value amongst their communities.
He elaborated that this new direction is already in motion, as they have recently launched an Expression of Interest for locally manufactured products in the Boteti region, a direct call to action to identify and integrate Botswana- and Batswana-made goods into their supply chain.
Maoketsa stated that their team had embarked on a benchmarking trip to SPEDU to learn from established industrial ecosystems and bring back world-class insights for action in Boteti.
'This will be underpinned by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Debswana and SPEDU soon,' he continued.
According to the OLDM General Manager, they had also rolled out capacitation initiatives in collaboration with their stakeholders to ready their business partners, being potential local manufacturers, for the tasks and opportunities that lie ahead of them.
He also shared that they had recently convened a Value Chain Development Workshop through a strategic collaboration between the Ministry of Minerals and Energy and Debswana's CEEP.
'The purpose of this workshop was to bring every stakeholder to the table to facilitate dialogue, planning, and collaboration to integrate local procurement into our businesses, thereby positively impacting citizen economic empowerment,' he continued.
He also explained that this workshop, officiated by the Minister of Minerals and Energy, had formalised a long-term collaboration through a sector-wide Memorandum of Understanding in support of the establishment of a repairs and rebuild centre, which will localise component repairs, rebuilds, and fabrication capabilities; strengthen enterprise development; facilitate skills transfer; and adopt technology.
Addressing the objective of the expo, he stated that manufacturers and relevant stakeholders were there to break down 'silos' and forge tangible linkages amongst local manufacturers, large corporations, policymakers, and potential funders, thereby fostering growth and economic diversification.
He elaborated that it would empower the local Boteti economy by providing a platform for manufacturers to showcase their capabilities through their products and services.
Lastly, Maoketsa said it would be a platform for capacity building by sharing the knowledge gained from their benchmark trips and raising the collective standard of their manufacturing sector.