Puma handholds Batswana into aviation fuel
Pauline Dikuelo | Monday May 20, 2024 06:00
On Wednesday, Puma Managing Director Dominic Dhanah said the company has started to recruit citizen-owned companies to form partnerships with Batswana who want to venture into fuel transportation.
“The development is part of our Project Maatlafatsa in which we seek to drive sustainable change in the fuel sector by empowering the locals,” he said during a briefing. “As part of the project, we will be training and empowering locals to be part of the aviation value chain.”
Through Project Maatlafatsa, Puma Energy aims to align its business with the government’s ambition to transform the economy to be inclusive and citizen-led. To date, Puma has engaged a local woman entrepreneur to operate Kasane and Francistown airports.
“She operates two of the four local airports and we are impressed with the work she has been doing so far,” the managing director said.
Dhanah said Puma Energy Botswana will soon hold a two-day masterclass in which 100 locals will be taken through training on the retail business of the fuel industry. About 40 of the participants will get a chance to be offered internships at Puma offices across the company’s service stations.
“We will be starting an entrepreneurial masterclass in July and we will start with Gaborone and go around the country to recruit students coming out of university and polytechnics. “We have already presented the idea to the relevant stakeholders and have been given a green light. “As part of the training, the participants will learn basics on how to run a service station,” he said.
Being the primary aviation refueller in the country, Puma Energy supplies both JetA1 and Avgas to the aviation sector. Across the airports, the company’s JetA1 storage capacity totals 850,000 litres with Avgas storage capacity across four airports at 234,000 litres.
According to the MD, Puma Energy Botswana’s storage capacity and supply availability ensures a continuous supply of fuel to the aviation sector thus contributing to the fuel security in the country. He said the company is working closely with relevant authorities to support domestic airlines and encourage international airlines to increase the number of flights serving Botswana.
Puma Energy provides supplies across six continents with 1,946 retail sites. At least 700 of these are in Africa and over 40 are in Botswana.