Morupule Coal Mine (MCM) and the Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) have formalised a partnership aimed at expanding citizen participation, enterprise development and investment opportunities within Botswana’s mining value chain.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed by MCM CEO Edwin Elias and CEDA Caretaker CEO Khalala Mokefane, seeks to translate opportunities arising from the coal mining ecosystem into sustainable citizen-owned businesses, productive capacity and jobs.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Elias said MCM’s responsibility extends beyond coal production to the households, suppliers, entrepreneurs and communities whose livelihoods are connected to the mine.
He said citizen entrepreneurship and enterprise development remain central to MCM’s stakeholder strategy, noting that since the inception of its Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Programme, the mine has directed more than P1.3 billion in cumulative spend towards citizen-owned businesses.
According to Elias, citizen participation in MCM’s procurement base has also increased from 29% to 53%, supporting approximately 2,550 jobs.
“These are not just aspirational figures. They are the record of a programme that has demonstrated that it sustainably works,” he said.
Under the new partnership, CEDA will provide business advisory and financial support, while MCM will contribute its supply-chain expertise and practical understanding of what citizen enterprises need to become competitive.
The collaboration will focus on unlocking opportunities across transport and logistics, manufacturing and supply development, alongside capacity-building programmes for suppliers.
The two institutions will also explore joint venture funding mechanisms designed to improve citizen companies’ access to long-term capital.
One of the initiatives highlighted is the development of a vegetable farm, which is intended to create opportunities for young entrepreneurs in primary production and agro-processing.
Elias said the partnership would also be supported by accountability mechanisms, including a beneficiation and citizen empowerment performance report and a Citizen Economic Empowerment Supply Performance Dashboard.
For his part, Mokefane said the MOU goes beyond a ceremonial signing, describing it as an opportunity to build capabilities, market opportunities and an industrial ecosystem around MCM and the wider Palapye mining economy.
“Our shared objective with MCM has been very clear. It is to translate opportunities within and around MCM mining and the value chain into sustainable citizen-owned businesses, productive capacity and jobs that will outlive the mine and uplift the lives of the communities in and around the mining town of Palapye,” he said.
Mokefane said CEDA’s role would be to bring financing and development support to ensure that enterprises established through the partnership are properly capacitated and sustainable.
He challenged stakeholders to look beyond simply securing individual contracts and instead build enterprises capable of growing into strong, independent businesses.
The partnership will therefore seek to answer critical questions around what Botswana’s citizens are currently not producing, what capabilities are being developed for the future, how much value is being retained within the country and which enterprises require targeted support to scale.
Mokefane said the collaboration presents an opportunity to address these issues practically, rather than theoretically, by identifying strategic initiatives and funding opportunities that can increase citizen participation and productive capacity within the mining sector.
The partnership comes at a time when Botswana continues to push for greater local beneficiation, citizen economic empowerment and increased participation in strategic economic value chains.
Both MCM and CEDA have expressed commitment to translating the agreement into tangible investments, stronger citizen enterprises and sustainable employment opportunities.
