Russia to bring more academics to Botswana
Bame Piet | Friday March 6, 2015 15:01
Mmegi: Briefly describe Botswana- Russian diplomatic relations.
Botswana and the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations on March 6, 1970, that is only four years after independence. The Russian Embassy was opened in Gaborone in 1976. Botswana-Russia relations are traditionally friendly.
Positions of both countries on main international or regional issues are close or coincide. We have a number of areas of cooperation, some of which, however, are yet to be developed.
Unfortunately, there is no Botswana Embassy in Russia. The Ambassador accredited in the Russian Federation permanently resides in Stockholm, Sweden.
But our colleagues from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Botswana assured me that Russia is number one candidate for opening a new diplomatic mission in the foreseeable future.
Mmegi: Since diplomatic relations were established, what have some of the major achievements been?
We have developed legal framework of Russia-Botswana relations. At present we have eight bilateral documents, including the Trade Agreement of 1987 and the Agreement on Technical and Economic Cooperation of 1988.
There is also a separate intergovernmental Agreement on Cultural, Scientific and Educational cooperation of 1999.
In 2002, Protocol on Political Consultations was signed, that launched a mechanism of annual consultations between senior Foreign Ministry and Government officials of the two countries. We strive to raise their level and agenda.
Incidentally, this year’s round of consultations will take place in Gaborone very soon - on March 23. Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Representative of the Russian President for Africa and the Middle East Mikhail Bogdanov will hold talks with Minister Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi.
Discussions are on-going to sign an agreement on mutual protection of investments, designed to boost inflow of Russian investments, and on protection of information.
Two memoranda of understanding in areas of health and education are at an advanced stage as well. Most of the work has been already completed and we expect the MoU to be signed in the forthcoming months.
Russia engages in training Botswana specialists, including such areas as law enforcement, health, and education. We are currently working on increasing the quota of government scholarships allocated to Batswana.
The pace of expanding public ties in the area of education creates incentives for more Botswana students to study in Russia on a self-sponsored basis. Russian universities are gradually becoming more attractive for Botswana youth in terms of affordability and quality.
Besides we can see that over the past few decades, bilateral business cooperation has come to stay, which shows that Botswana and Russia objectively have common interests and this is not a mere political declaration.
Mmegi: What are some of the major socio-economic areas that the two countries share?
First of all, both countries’ economies are to a large extent geared to mining. The lion’s share of Botswana’s GDP is generated in diamonds mining.
Russia is rather dependent on oil and gas although the list of minerals mined in the territory of Russia is very long. This is why it is most natural for the two countries to cooperate in the field of mining.
Apart from that there are plans of a visit to Russia by a delegation of Botswana Innovation Hub. I believe this is a very promising initiative, which may result in working out practical steps to boost trade and investment cooperation between our two countries.
At my recent meeting with the Minister of Trade and Industry Vincent Seretse he told me that Botswana is interested in our technologies. Russia has leading positions in several hi-tech industries such as military production, nuclear energy, space exploration and some others.
There is a number of innovation and scientific centres throughout the country, including world-known “Skolkovo”, whose workers do their utmost to maintain the traditional prestige of Russian science and enhance the competitiveness of the country’s economy.
As another step we propose to jointly organise a visit by Russian business mission to Botswana in 2015. It will be composed of representatives of Russian economic ministries and private businesses under the umbrella of the Chamber of Trade and Industry of Russia.
Both Russia and Botswana boast rich wildlife and nature, and both have a well-established tourism industry. Together we can explore ways of forging direct links to develop mutually beneficial cooperation in these areas.
The kinds of wildlife we protect may differ - for Botswana it is the Big Five, while for Russia - it is Amur tiger, Caucasian and Far Eastern leopards and Polar bears. However, we are ready to cooperate and assist each other in that regard.
Mmegi: America and China are major investors and funders in Africa, what is Russian doing to endear its self to Africa or the third world?
Unlike many Western countries, Russia has never been a colonial power. On the contrary, our country helped African nations defend their independence, like, for instance, in the case of the Anglo-Boer war.
The Soviet Union exerted its influence in Africa mostly in the political and ideological sphere and through developmental and military aid. Thousands of talented African youth were invited to study in’ Soviet universities. At that time quite a number of African states chose the non-Capitalist way of development.
However, after the ideological confrontation came to an end Russia entered a period of economic turmoil when it simply could not afford to invest abroad relatively large amounts of capital. But in the 21st century Russia is striving to reinstate its economic foothold.
In a highly competitive global economy it is very important to find one’s market niche and retain it. For Russia such niche is oil and gas extraction, mining, metallurgy, military production, nuclear energy, space technologies.
We have a lot of companies, both state owned and private that have funds and expertise to implement successful investment projects abroad.
Not only Norilsk Nickel and ALROSA, but also many others have come to Africa creating new jobs and modern production facilities. Russia’s aluminium giant RUSAL has a large mine in Guinea, private holding Evraz owns several mines in South Africa, Renova extracts manganese and produces ferroalloys in South Africa.
A new platinum project has recently been launched in Zimbabwe and the first oil refinery is about to be constructed in Uganda with the participation of several Russian corporations. These deals amount to $3 billion each.
Not only does Russia contribute to the economic development of African countries, but it also extends medical assistance. The Russian Federation has vigorously joined the effort to fight the disease caused by the Ebola virus, both on the bilateral and multilateral levels.
It includes financial support, sending humanitarian aid, medical brigades and the construction of a modern hospital in Guinea.
Mmegi: Botswana, like Russia, is a major diamond producer in the world. Can Botswana learn a thing or two from Russia? What has Russia learned from Botswana with regard to the diamond industry? Is there any other major Russian company doing business in Botswana at the moment?
Russia and Botswana, being two major players in the rough diamond market, possess all key ingredients to glue a partnership. Russian JSC ALROSA is a global leader in rough diamond production. It boasts the largest resource base in the world.
Against the background of the projected shortage of rough diamonds in the global market, ALROSA considers maintaining high production volumes and search for new diamond deposits its key objectives.
The company has already been prospecting for Botswana diamonds in a joint venture with British «Botswana Diamonds». Diamond exploration in Orapa is currently underway, and resent findings indicate good prospects for boring.
ALROSA is constantly working on increasing operational efficiency through the use of new diamond extraction technologies, developing low-grade deposits and underground mining at deeper levels.
Exploring for new deposits in Botswana and Angola, ALROSA employs technologies that have proven themselves in the far northern region of Yakutia but have never been used in Africa yet.
Russia’s Kristall Production Corporation - a major integrated polishing and jewellery enterprise in Europe could offer its unique experience in polishing technology and manufacture of jewellery. This can be of use since one of the leading centres in global diamond trade is currently taking shape in Botswana.
Mmegi: The Government has finally bought out the major Russian company Norilsk Nickel from Tati Nickel. What is your overall impression of this?
Exit of this private Russian company from the Botswana market was dictated solely by a new strategy of corporate development, which now targets Russia. Although Norilsk Nickel has been disposing of its assets in Botswana, it does not mean a full stop of cooperation between Tati Nickel/BCL and the Russian Company on technological and scientific & technical issues.
I know that, according to the terms of the deal, the chains of supply will remain intact, and all nickel and copper matte will still be sent to Norilsk Nickel facility in Finland for enrichment.
There is a research and development institute under the Norilsk Nickel structure named GipronickeL Tati Nickel as well as other mining companies of Botswana are most welcome to consult Gipronickel as an institution able to conduct solid research and formulate proposals on optimising productivity.
Moreover, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Health and medical authorities in Francistown, Norilsk Nickel developed a mobile telemedicine unit “Tobol”, designed to provide different types of diagnostics.
Once completed, this project will significantly contribute to improving health services in remote and scarcely populated areas of the country.
Besides, we have other major mining companies, which could establish mutually beneficial ties with partners in Botswana. They obtain critical technological expertise and advanced mining equipment that can be transferred to this country.
Mmegi: How many Russian nationals are working in Botswana? And in what areas or field?
About 100 Russian citizens live in Botswana on a permanent basis. Most of them came to this country for work. Apart from the Embassy staff these are medical doctors, engineers, technicians, entrepreneurs and teachers. Some specialists from the Norilsk Nickel still work in the Tati Nickel mine.
Taking into consideration high demand for qualified teachers in Botswana, plans are underway to resume the practice of inviting Russian academics to local Universities to teach various disciplines.
So in the near future we may expect the number of Russians in Botswana to increase.
Mmegi: What is the total amount of trade between the Botswana and Russia?
In 2014 aggregate Russia’s export to Botswana reached $6,7 mil. Generally Russia supplies to Botswana industrial equipment, TV cameras and other devices.
At the same time the import from Botswana to Russia is very low. We definitely should work together to fully realise the potential of trade between Russia and Botswana.
Mmegi: As a member of BRlCS, do you think the organisation has any significant impact on Botswana, SADC and the rest of Africa?
As we all know, Botswana’s powerful neighbour South Africa is a member of BRICS too. Being the only African country in this association, South Africa positions itself as the mouthpiece for the whole continent.
While advancing cooperation with that country, we often tackle issues that are relevant to many developing countries across the globe. Besides, some large transnational companies use South Africa as a springboard to move forward to other African states.
I am glad that Botswana authorities also attach importance to the activities of BRICS. One year ago BRICS seminar was held in Gaborone with the participation of BRICS countries’ ambassadors and a special guest from South Africa - BRICS coordinator Mr. Suklal.
BRICS is a rapidly developing partnership, which focuses on economic rather than political issues. At its sixth summit in Fortaleza, Brazil in 2014, the participants signed the long anticipated document to create the $IOO billion BRICS Development Bank and the Contingent Reserves Arrangement worth over another $1 00 billion.
The main objective of these institutions is to contribute to international financial stability. There is an idea of establishing an independent credit-rating agency. In April BRICS ecological forum will be held, and in July the Russian city of Ufa will host the seventh BRICS Summit. As for the SADC and other regional organisations, such as African Union, Russia pays due attention to their role in the current international processes. In February SADC Executive Secretary Dr. Stegomena Lawrence Tax visited Moscow where she met with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Deputy Minister Mikhail Bogdanov.
We are working on the Memorandum of Understanding between Russia and SADC. In July Botswana will assume the chairmanship in SADC, and I hope to use this opportunity to deepen our cooperation in the multilateral format as well.
We believe in Russia that combined efforts of many African countries will prove to be fruitful even though they are faced with serious challenges. But all nations should develop independently, peacefully and without external pressure.