Gaborone — Botswana is ready to export human capital with the sought after skills to the world for the country to share its ingenuity, knowledge and experience in mining.
Addressing the Natural Diamond Summit in Gaborone yesterday, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi said Botswana came a long way and had amassed much knowledge in mining, thus the mineral endowed nations should recognise the invaluable lessons that the country can offer in transforming the economy.
"We recognise the value of our people and the role they play in transforming diamonds into value, and through the spirit of comradeship and Ubuntu, we stand ready to assist where our expertise is needed, particularly in mining operations in the developing nations," he said.
He said the development of value chains across the priority sectors in Botswana, especially in the diamond industry, presented a great opportunity for the economy.
Dr Masisi said the success of the value chains was dependent on the ability to support the development of the citizenry to facilitate their entry into mining related businesses in the mid and downstream.
He added that Botswana's diamond industry was a cornerstone of not only the country's economy, but also its heritage, a symbol of resilience and a testament to human spirit's ability to shine through adversity.
"We have already made strides in the direction of sustainable partnerships and collaborations where industry players, government and communities are working together to unlock the full potential of our precious resources," he said.
The President further said the world recognised the power of mineral beneficiation, not only as a means to increase the value but also as a catalyst for social economic development.
"This is the reason why as government, we stand tall in the knowledge that we have been able to transform our economy and by extension support livelihoods, predominantly through the discovery of diamonds, but more importantly the prudent management of these shining and rare valuable stones," he said.
In that regard, he said the eleventh National Development Plan (NDP 11) set out a fiscal rule whereby 40 per cent of mineral revenues would be saved in the form of financial assets for future generations while the rest would be invested in infrastructure and human capital development.
"These were some of the clear commitments made to ensure development of communities in the long term. Development of human capital is indeed imperative in addressing issues of income inequality and social ills which hinder real sustainable development," he added.
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Furthermore, he said Botswana's prudent oversight of her diamonds and other natural resources was an open secret, adding the country was committed from the beginning to complying with best practice principles such as the Kimberly Process, the Natural Diamond Council requirements and the International Council on Metals and Minerals.
That, he said positioned Botswana diamond industry into the highest standards of compliance in mining clean diamonds.
Additionally, President Masisi said the existing legislation and structures not only ensured that natural resources were used to support broad-based economic development, but that governance and operations of natural resources adhered to sustainability principles and requirements.
He said in order to provide source assurance and ensure consumer confidence in Botswana diamonds, necessary investments were made to enable their traceability through the De Beers-Blockchain technology.
BOPA
