De Beers Spent P4 billion On Procurement In Botswana In 2016De Beers Group and its joint ventures spent more than P4 billion in Botswana in 2016 purchasing goods and services from local businesses according to the Group’s latest Report to Society, published today.
The spend with Botswana-based businesses, which represented 81% of the Group’s and its joint ventures’ total procurement spend in Botswana, comprised payments for both core business and ancillary services.
De Beers Group and its joint ventures also increased the amount they invested in community development programmes in Botswana 31 per cent to P124 million in 2016. Funding was provided for a range of projects, including upgrades to community health and education facilities, accommodation programmes for key workers and cultural tourism development.
Recognising the importance of Botswana’s rich ecosystem, De Beers Group and its joint ventures also ran a number of programmes designed to protect species under threat or in danger of extinction.
This included a rhino conservation initiative, supported by Debswana – the 50/50 joint venture between De Beers Group and the Government of the Republic of Botswana – to increase the country’s rhino population through a breeding programme that then releases rhinos back into the wild.
As a result of improved financial and operating performance, globally De Beers Group returned US$5 billion to stakeholders – a 26 per cent rise on 2015 – through taxes, payments and dividends, emphasising the importance of the relationships with stakeholders, including governments, communities, suppliers and joint venture partners in 2016.
The Report also highlights that in Botswana, De Beers Group and its joint ventures: saw further progress with workplace HIV/AIDS programmes, helping reduce the number of HIV positive employees in Debswana dying from the disease to less than one per cent – down from 31 per cent just 15 years ago; spent more than P49 million on training for employees; supported more than 100 businesses and 570 jobs through Tokafala, the enterprise development programme run in association with Anglo American; partnered with the Botswana Innovation Hub and the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture to host the inaugural Youth Innovators Conference, to develop entrepreneurs among young people; showcased Botswana’s unique offering to business leaders in the US as part of a country-wide roadshow focused on supporting economic development and diversification.
Bruce Cleaver, CEO, De Beers Group, said: “While our diamond partnership with the Government of Botswana has delivered a great deal of direct economic benefit over the last five decades, we are increasingly looking for ways in which we can also maximise our contribution outside of our core business.
“Putting the supply chain to work is helping to secure jobs and deliver substantial benefits to local businesses across a range of sectors. Meanwhile, our community investments are helping with the provision of important services for people who need them across the country.”
