Debswana empowers LEA assisted enterprises
Staff Writer | Friday March 10, 2017 15:22
The initiative will entail a special dispensation whereby LEA assisted enterprises produce leather goods for Debswana mines with sales proceeds used for capacitating of incubators.
The products would include leather protective gloves; spats, aprons as well as non-leather items like grease drum lids covers and tool kit bags.
According to a statement from the Authority about 60 tool kit bags have already been supplied to Jwaneng Mine and a further 60 and 20 grease drum covers are ready for dispatch to Orapa and Letlhakane Mines respectively.
“Debswana has identified LEA’s leather incubation programme as a platform through which it can assist in growing the leather sector and at the same time empowering local SMMEs to gain skills,” reads the statement.
This project forms part of Debswana’s citizen empowerment strategy that among others aims to develop local supply by capacitating local suppliers to provide services to the mines and enterprise development around the mining areas using raw materials within those localities.
According to the statement, the long-term objective is to capacitate Batswana entrepreneurs so that in future they can form their own companies and compete with other suppliers to supply such products to Debswana.
The partnership between the two organisations is aligned to government’s call for the facilitation of local production and consumption by government departments including local authorities and parastatals to purchase locally produced products and service from locally based manufacturers and service providers.
“The Authority is currently working with Debswana to test the samples in order to meet the mine’s standards in terms of safety and quality. Thereafter, the products will be quality tested by both Department of Mines and Botswana Bureau of Standards, with opportunities to access the supply chain not only of Debswana mines but that of the De Beers and Anglo American group of companies in future.
“LEA values this partnership and has committed to ensure that the beneficiaries deliver as per Debswana requirements to benefit from the myriad opportunities that are available in the mining sector supply chain,” reads the statement.
Currently the Authority has four incubators at Pilane Multi-Purpose Incubator, Leather Industries Incubator, Francistown Industrial Business Incubator and the Glen Valley Horticulture Incubator. Plans are underway to open yet another incubator in the 2017-18 financial year.