Mmegi

Gov't works on critical minerals strategy

Looking forward: Kenewendo PIC.KENNEDY RAMOKONE
Looking forward: Kenewendo PIC.KENNEDY RAMOKONE

Minerals and Energy minister, Bogolo Kenewendo, says the country is working on a critical minerals strategy which includes the associated value chain, in order to prepare itself for the next 'wave of mining' in the country.

Speaking virtually at the Brookings Institute 'Foresight Africa 2025–2030' event held in Washington DC on Wednesday, Kenewendo said it was important that Africa, which hosts an estimated 30% of the world’s critical minerals, prepare itself.

The minister addressed the meeting after President Duma Boko gave a keynote address in which he laid out how Botswana had been able to escape the 'Resource Curse' and had become the global example of prudent minerals policy development and management.

“We have to prepare ourselves in Africa, especially with this increased demand for our minerals, particularly the critical minerals for the green transition,” Kenewendo said. “Everyone else around the world has already developed their strategies and are prepared for this next wave. “With 30% of these critical minerals coming from Africa, it’s critical that we also prepare.”

Kenewendo said collaboration within Africa and the use of existing continental institutions and agreements would be key in developing a united strategy.

“We have to ensure that the contracts will be able to meet our demands at home and that there’s a level of transparency to make sure the market trusts the decisions we are making to get more value from our minerals,” she said. “We should be clear about what we want to achieve.”

In late 2023, geologists at the Botswana Geoscience Institute announced the discovery of platinum deposits, as well as the valuable 'critical minerals', which are highly sought after all over the world because of the global energy transition.

The platinum deposits were spotted in the Gantsi and Chobe areas. Platinum is a rare mineral with wide industrial usage, including in the production of optical fibres and turbine blades.

One of the critical minerals, manganese, has been confirmed to occur in a vast deposit in the Kanye area. A developer in the area is close to commercial operations.

BGI CEO, Olefile Cisco Mashabila, said the discoveries had the potential to earn the country an additional “100+ years of continued mining”.

Mashabila said the parastatal’s continuous exploration and studies had confirmed the presence of nearly 30 critical minerals that are yet to be mined in the country.

“There is an opening up of opportunities in the mining of other minerals in the country and I can confirm that Botswana has discovered close to all 30 critical minerals declared by the US Department of State,” he said.

The US, in its Energy Act of 2020, defined a “critical mineral” as a non-fuel mineral or mineral material essential to the economic or national security of the US and which has a supply chain vulnerable to disruption. Ends...

Editor's Comment
UDC's 100 Days: Please deliver your promises!

We duly congratulate them to have ousted the long ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) from power. Prior to taking power from the BDP, the coalition had made several election promises that are credited for influencing change and swaying the people to vote in its favour.The party had made an undertaking, which its leader and President Duma Boko consistently bellowed in his campaign trail. These undertakings were promises that Batswana would be...

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