Motheo mine seen contributing P38bn to economy
Lewanika Timothy | Wednesday February 25, 2026 06:00
Directors have revealed that during the 2024 financial year alone, the mine contributed approximately P4 billion through wages, taxes, royalties and payments to local suppliers. This is a sizeable injection at a time when government revenue streams remain under pressure from a weakening diamond market.
Asset President of the Sandfire Resources Motheo Copper Project, Jamie Caratti, highlighted recently that the project represents a long-term partnership model anchored on fiscal contribution and sustainable operations.
“Motheo is a significant contributor to Botswana’s economy,” he said at the Investing in African Mining Indaba in South Africa. “In FY24 alone, we generated approximately P4 billion through wages, taxes, royalties and payments to local suppliers.”
The projected contribution over the next decade reflects direct fiscal payments to government, salaries to citizens, and procurement spending within the domestic economy over the mine’s first decade.
With copper increasingly important to the global energy transition and other critical supply chains, Motheo’s revenue profile arrives at a strategically important time for Botswana’s mineral diversification agenda.
Operated by Sandfire Resources, the Motheo Copper Project has rapidly scaled up production since commencing commercial operations in July 2023.
Output has expanded from 3.2 million tonnes per annum to 5.6 million tonnes, with copper production reaching 58,000 tonnes in FY25 and trending toward 60,000 tonnes in FY26.
The mine employs more than 1,900 people, with over 98% being citizens and nearly 25% female participation. Capital infrastructure at site includes a fully serviced accommodation village, grid power connectivity, water management systems using managed aquifer recharge and a tailings facility built beyond regulatory thresholds.
Meanwhile, exploration activities covering close to 10,000 square kilometres of the Kalahari Copper Belt are currently underway, raising prospects of extending the mine life beyond the initial 10 years.
Should additional deposits be confirmed, the projected P38 billion contribution could grow substantially.
At a time when Botswana is recalibrating its fiscal outlook amid diamond revenue headwinds, Motheo’s multi-billion pula inflow into government coffers and the domestic supply chain signal a strengthening copper-backed revenue stream for the national economy