Mmegi

Data confirms mining price freefall

Falling: Mineral 
revenues are expected 
to sharply drop this year 
PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO
Falling: Mineral revenues are expected to sharply drop this year PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO

New figures from Statistics Botswana show the hole in which the country’s minerals sector finds itself, with the slump in prices spreading beyond diamonds and hitting coal as well as soda ash, which suffered three straight quarters of declines.

Latest numbers from local data agency, Statistics Botswana, show that from July last year to March of this year, the prices of diamonds, soda ash, and coal have been on a freefall, with local miners getting less and less value for their minerals in each successive quarter.

The Mining Producer Price Index (PPI), which estimates the prices that mining companies get paid for what they produce (like diamonds, copper, and coal), shows that for the first quarter of 2025, the PPI dropped to 80.4, representing a steep 30.7% from the 116.1 recorded in the final quarter of 2024. This comes on the back of a tough 2024, where the PPI had already slipped by 10.8% in the third quarter.

Editor's Comment
Depression is real; let's take care of our mental health

It is not uncommon in this part of the world for parents to actually punish their children when they show signs of depression associating it with issues of indiscipline, and as a result, the poor child will be lashed or given some kind of punishment. We have had many suicide cases in the country and sadly some of the cases included children and young adults. We need to start looking into issues of mental health with the seriousness it...

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