Africa-Press – Botswana. President Felix Tshisekedi of DRC has commended Botswana for good management of minerals for the benefit of its citizens.
Speaking after a tour of Jwaneng Mine on Thursday, he said as one of the big diamond producers, it was important for the DRC to appreciate Botswana’s diamond operations and how the minerals were managed.
“I congratulate you for the way this sector is being managed and more importantly, the way your employees are managed.
What I take away from this country today is that the way you manage your resources is for the best interest of the people of Botswana, and that is the most important thing,” said President Tshisekedi. Additionally, he said the good partnerships that Botswana had built with private sector was worth emulating.
“The type of partnership you have with the private sector is something we would like to duplicate in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” he said.
For his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Lemogang Kwape said sharing management practices would further strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries. He said he was optimistic that Botswana would in future export skills to the mining sector in the DRC. “We look forward to young Batswana coming to the DRC to make DRC just as good as the king of mines,” he noted.
He applauded Jwaneng Mine management for their commitment and dedication in ensuring that diamonds contributed to the development of the country. “As we hold this very precious mine in trust, we must remember that it is trust we hold on behalf of future generations,” he said.
Jwaneng Mine General Manager, Mr Koolatotse Koolatotse attributed the sustainable diamond mining to the Debswana values intended to promote peace, good governance and security. He said as the biggest diamond mine in the world by value, Jwaneng Mine was committed to upholding the highest safety standards, rendering it the safest mine in the world.
In addition to the contribution to the country’s GDP, Mr Koolatotse said Jwaneng Mine continued to contribute towards the socio-economic development of communities within their zone of influence, in areas such as health and education, among others.
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