Debswana Partners With LEA
Staff Writer | Monday May 11, 2020 15:45
The masks will be distributed to law enforcement officers, as well as other essential services workers and communities around Debswana operations to ensure their continued protection.
Additional funding has also been provided to produce 24,000 masks for Debswana employees and contractors. Production of masks for employees and contractors has already commenced, said Debswana in a statement.
In making the commitment, Debswana took into consideration the importance of ensuring that the masks are produced by local enterprises, particularly Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs), to assist government in sustaining local micro economic activity during the current lockdown, the statement also said.
In order to ensure a well-structured and conscientious response, the company has been proactively engaging stakeholders at its host communities of Jwaneng/Mabutsane and Boteti sub-districts, as well as at national level, to identify critical prevention, response initiatives and further formulate strategic partnerships.
Some of the stakeholders engaged in the project are the District Disaster Management Committees (DDMC), District Health Management Teams (DHMT), National Emergency Operation Centre, Ministry of Health and Wellness, community leadership, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), development agencies, parastatals and other stakeholders.
Amongst considerations made, is the need to ensure that the masks are produced locally by citizen entities and in line with requisite health specifications and standards.
As a result, Debswana said it found it important to leverage the skills and resources of the Local Enterprise Authority (LEA), and through them, identify skilled Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) to produce the masks at the requisite standards under their supervision. Through the LEA partnership, support of Debswana’s internal occupational hygiene and safety experts, Debswana assures quality of the masks production process whilst at the same time fulfilling its citizen economic empowerment objectives.
Through this partnership, LEA identified suitable enterprises with capacity to produce the face masks. Debswana found it important to include tailors from host communities of Boteti and Jwaneng/Mabutshane sub-distrits; those registered as Debswana suppliers; as well as Tokafala and Strengthening Youth Development through Entrerpise (STRYDE) graduates.
LEA is responsible for providing business coaching and mentorship services during production while observing social distancing protocols, to ensure that the producers comply with the specifications and expected product quality.
Furthermore, LEA and Debswana’s Social Performance teams will manage the production turnaround times and ensure adherence to the work plans. The Authority will also coordinate the collection and delivery of the face masks from all the identified 58 producers to Debswana. Upon successful completion of the project, LEA will facilitate the payment process between Debswana and the SMMEs, to ensure swift payment for the orders as allocated amongst the producers.