Botswana aims at 80% stake - WikiLeaks

MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE
Staff Writer | Friday February 4, 2011 00:00

According to a Wikileaks cable entitled, 'AU SUMMIT: A/S CARSON'S MEETING WITH BOTSWANA'S VICE PRESIDENT MOMPATI MERAFHE', the now hospitalised vice- president told  USA's Assistant Secretary, Johnnie Carson, on July 2, 2009 at the African Union (AU) Summit in Sirte, Libya, that Botswana was in the process of concluding establishment of a diamond trading consortium including DeBeers, Anglo American and Namibia that would, once complete, consolidate 30% of global diamond trade in Botswana. Botswana will hold an 80% stake under the partnership.

The information is very valuable in that it has never been made public before.

Also interesting was the revelation by Merafhe that China will play a very key role in the exploitation and harnessing of Botswana's billions of tones of coal reserves.

Carson asked about the status of coal production and energy resources in Botswana. Merafhe noted that the government was working to harness Botswana's overall energy resources to achieve self-sufficiency, and that China will enter the market to help Botswana further exploit its coal production capabilities.

There are no plans, at present, to develop wind or solar energy resources.

Merafhe also waxed lyrical about Botswana's ISPAAD programme which managed to more than double sorghum production in the previous year, increasing yields from 43,000 metric tons to 93,000. In response to that the US assistant secretary told Merafhe that the USA was in the process   of launching a new, global food security initiative in which Africa would be featured prominently.

In particular, American agricultural assistance funding will double to $1 billion during financial year 2010, with an approximate total of $3.5 billion provided by the USA within the next three years.