Announcement: National Lottery Licence
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
This selection was, as indicated then, subject to the successful negotiation and conclusion of a Licence Agreement between the Authority and the Preferred Applicant. The Authority further indicated that, should negotiations with the Preferred Applicant fail, the Authority would commence negotiations with the Reserve Applicant. The Authority commenced negotiations with Growmine on the 19th of January 2021.
The Board of the Authority wishes to inform the nation, that negotiations with Growmine were unsuccessful and consequently the status of Growmine as the Preferred Applicant has been revoked. The failure of the negotiations is as a result of Growmine’s failure to satisfy the Authority on a key, non-negotiable requirement as per the Request for Applications (RFA) for the licence to operate the National Lottery as well as a key undertaking made in their application and in presentations to the Evaluation Committee.
While his leadership has brought about significant progress and development, it is imperative that he exercises greater caution in his choice of words, particularly when addressing sensitive matters.One of the primary concerns is the potential impact of his remarks on Botswana’s relationship with De Beers, the diamond mining giant that plays a crucial role in the nation’s economy.The partnership between Botswana and De Beers has been mutually...