October 2016 will always be a time to forget for the people of Francistown. This is the time when Tati Nickel, with its twin mines, Phoenix and Selkirk, shut its doors, having sputtered along the years.
At the time, most of the nation’s eyes were on Selebi-Phikwe, where BCL Ltd, which owned Tati Nickel, spectacularly liquidated the copper operation there. These events had dashed the hopes of the people of the northern city and extinguished their dreams. Families were broken as many people lost their jobs. Employment is a huge issue for Tati and the broader Francistown community.
Fast-forward to September 2025, today, we are witnessing the reopening of the Tati Nickel Mine, now renamed Tataki. This is highly commendable. Tataki promises revenues of $4.2 billion (P56bn) over the next decade.
Austrian investor, Cevdet Caner, and his investment firm, NIU Invest SE, have pledged to invest $200 million (P2.7bn) over 10 years to bring Phoenix Mine at Tataki back to profitable operations, creating more than 3,000 direct and indirect jobs.
There can’t be any sweeter news for the people of Francistown this week than this. These are news of hope, optimism, and life wrapped in one. Besides the creation of jobs, the benefits of reopening the mine are massive.
The reopening of Tati will stimulate the local economy through increased investment and business activity, and provide new infrastructure like roads and services. The reopened mine can attract new investments and stimulate industrial development in the surrounding area.
Mining can also support the development of other sectors, such as agriculture, by creating demand for local products or by facilitating new income-generating projects through trusts. Furthermore, there is also the issue of royalties from mining, which can be used to support community projects, such as improved education, healthcare, and sanitation.
For Francistowners, the reopening of the mine represents the brightest hope that has shone over Tati since its closure. What is critical is for the government and private sector to learn the lessons from 2016 and ensure greater economic diversification for areas such as Francistown and Phikwe.
Part of this can be achieved through the development of a critical minerals strategy that can guide sustainable development from the resurgent interest in the minerals available in both areas.
Never again should the people of Francistown or Phikwe be faced with such economic devastation.
