IDM AND BMWU PARTNERSHIP TO ENHANCE MINING BENEFICIATION
The first in the mining sector, the Institute of Development Management (IDM) and Botswana Mine Workers Union entered into a long term partnership agreement aimed at building capacity of membership of the union body across the length and breadth of Botswana. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed at Palapye on Tuesday 30th March 2021 will usher in a new developmental journey which will provide BMWU with the necessary tools to realise its core organizational objectives, among them, human capital development in the mining industry. The partnership comes at a time when the Union embarks on a transformational journey to ensure effective realization of their new mandate, namely; Capacity building, Sustainability and Transformation. Speaking at the signing ceremony, IDM Regional Director Richard Malikongwa said, the gesture was a great milestone for them as an education and training institution to partner with a brand which has a long standing history in the country dating as far back as 1967. Mr Malikongwa said IDM and BMWU are two brands which are synonymous with the developmental journey of Botswana. “IDM was established to create a talent pool for the three Governments of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland, now eswatini. Botswana Mine Workers Union on the other hand was formed to promote worker centric policies, laws and practices by aligning national strategic priorities to internationally recognized standards and frameworks,” he said.
The IDM Regional Director said the journey both partners have traversed over the years gives them an opportunity to learn a great deal from each other, expressing his excitement that the agreement paves way for many prospects for the duo to thrive by drawing strengths from each other. He further said the partnership will usher in a new paradigm shift through which the beneficiaries will begin to look at life differently, where life after work should be prioritized and adequately planned for. “Our resolve as IDM is to cultivate a culture of professionalism in the labour movement,” said Malikongwa further encouraging BMWU members to acquire work ethics that are inward looking and outward looking at the same time to provide them with a holistic view of life issues. Malikongwa further said through the partnership they can jointly engage government to make informed decisions on policy reviews and formulation that is based on empirical evidence gathered through research and consultancy that is issues-based. In his remarks, BMWU President Joseph Tsimako said despite the rich history and legacy which BMWU has enjoyed in the labour movement in Botswana, new trends both national and global have brought about new ways of conducting business in the mining industry. He further said the mining industry has evolved into a technologically driven industry, presenting 21st Century challenges and opportunities, which require technical approaches and new skills sets that were previously not sought after in the old way of conducting trade union business.
Tsimako said in responding to these external factors, BMWU has embarked on a transformation drive with key focus on capacity building, sustainability and transformation. “It is under the capacity building thematic area, that we have partnered with IDM, to assist BMWU with various aspects of its organizational capacity building efforts; support its core mandate of providing quality services to its members and sustaining its legacy as the pioneer Trade Union in Botswana,” he said. “The partnership with IDM will support delivery of the education programmes to BMWU members, build capacity across strategic structures of the organization, strengthen BMWU research capacity, enhance BMWU’S contribution to the country’s human resources development strategy and the realization of its national priorities aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals Specifically Goal 8,” noted Tsimako. Welcoming guests to Palapye, Kgosi Martha Lebang said the partnership will go a long way in achieving the vision of an excellent workforce by the year 2036. Kgosi Lebang, the woman Kgosi in the village said Palapye as a mining town was fortunate to be witnessing a futuristic partnership. Her sentiments were shared by BMWU Secretary General Maenge Maenge in his closing remarks. Maenge said the Union has always believed that development of workers is key to the sustainability of any business. There were other solidarity and inspirational messages from Botswana Power Corporation, Botswana Power Corporation Workers Union and Morupule Colliery Mine.