Marathon Gives De Beers Group's Young Entrepreneurs a Chance to Shine
De Beers Group played a major role in the staging of a high profile marathon run in the Botswana capital of Gaborone.
The company arranged for prime exhibition space to be allocated to the De Beers Youth Innovators initiative, giving 15 young entrepreneurs a platform to showcase their talents to the 6,000 runners and a variety of corporate leaders, as well as the opportunity to gain media exposure.
Kago Ramokate, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, said: “It’s great to see initiatives like these, particularly where the ministry is not the lead. It’s inspiring to see the enthusiasm from the youth and their drive to market their product.”
De Beers Group also helped fund accommodation, meals, kits and subsistence allowances for participants in the marathon, sponsored mainly by international diamond firm Diacore through PGM Foundation.
The company collaborated with the Ministry to identify 32 athletes, two from each of the 16 Botswana districts, to receive financial assistance to take part in the Diacore Gaborone Marathon event, staged on 7 May. In addition, 96 De Beers Group employees and their partners were runners.
Afterwards, the company was presented with the Team Spirit Award for its teamwork and was also recognised for its innovative wellness and sport development initiative aimed at empowering young athletes and cultivating youth entrepreneurship.
Nicole Senuku, De Beers Group Corporate Affairs Specialist, said: “Our support is in line with our social investment, focusing on youth development and entrepreneurship. We have partnered with PGM Foundation, which fosters youth sport development and launched the marathon as its first flagship event in 2010.
“The De Beers Youth Innovators Botswana initiative has so far created invaluable opportunities for young entrepreneurs to give them the much-needed push towards penetrating commercial markets and achieving their full potential.”
The annual event offers a 42.2km marathon, a 21.1km half-marathon, a 10km race and a 4km fun run for the family. All proceeds from registration are donated to charity – raising P1 million (US$95,000) in 2015 and in 2016.
It is the country’s biggest charity running event and is an important qualifier for major international races in which Botswana and international athletes compete. This year, it attracted runners from 30 countries, including the US.
About De Beers
De Beers is a member of the Anglo American plc group. Established in 1888, De Beers is the world’s leading diamond company with expertise in the exploration, mining and marketing of diamonds. Together with its joint venture partners, De Beers employs more than 20,000 people across the diamond pipeline and is the world’s largest diamond producer by value, with mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. As part of the company’s operating philosophy, the people of De Beers are committed to ‘Building Forever’ by making a lasting contribution to the communities in which they live and work, and transforming natural resources into shared national wealth. For further information about De Beers, visit www.debeersgroup.com.
Media Contact
Press office
Tel +44 (0) 20 7430 3434
pressoffice@debeersgroup.com
