Panel Discussion: ‘Community and Stakeholder Engagement, Best Practices for Engaging with Local Communities and Stakeholders to Ensure Social Responsibility’
Debswana Corporate Affairs Manager, Ms. Keamogetse Sampson resourced a panel discussion exploring effective strategies and best practices for engaging local communities and stakeholders in the mining industry in Botswana. The goal of the discussion was to identify and promote socially responsible practices that ensure the mining sector contributes to sustainable development, respects the rights and interests of communities.
Ms. Sampson shared that community and stakeholder engagement should be positioned at a strategic level for it to be more effective. She highlighted the importance of proactive engagement and advised against engaging as an afterthought. She further advised that accessibility and usage of the right platforms are key to successful engagements. She shared some of the initiatives that Debswana has adopted to better serve communities such as the site-specific social management plans and some of the International Standards and Best Practices that give structure to our community engagements.
Ms. Sampson was accompanied by Ms. Selebo Auma Jobe as fellow panellist and Boitumelo Ntsosa as the moderator.
