The anniversary was celebrated under the theme, 'More than Diamond Mining,’ to underscore Debswana's significant role in Botswana's modern development beyond mining activities. The ceremony was attended by workers from OLDM, its business partners, and community leaders from across the country. The event was characterised by storytelling from employees and stakeholders, highlighting how the diamond company has influenced their lives. Speaking at the event, OLDM General Manager Mogakolodi Maoketsa said since its inception, the company has done a lot to change the lives of Batswana. “The story of Debswana is a story of transformation, I must reiterate. Since the 1970s, we have unearthed many opportunities and facilitated the enrichment of lives.
We have contributed to every sector of the economy directly and indirectly. We have created employment for thousands of Batswana, and improved livelihoods,” he said. Maoketsa added: “Through our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes, we have positively contributed to sports development, enhancement and development of health and education facilities and services, skills development programmes to enable community members to access diverse jobs, positively impacted conservation and biodiversity. We have been leading in the promotion of the empowerment of Women, Girls and differently-abled people including enterprise development to name but just a few.” Maoketsa highlighted that in Boteti, the tangible results of Debswana's commitment were evident in infrastructure projects that supported local education and healthcare amongst others. “We are proud of the several infrastructure projects that we have funded in the education space to support the district.
