The Indaba, one of the world’s largest meetings of the mining industry, kicked off on Monday and ended on Thursday.
Minerals and Energy minister, Lefoko Moagi told BusinessWeek that government’s mission at the Indaba was to remind investors, financiers, and partners alike that Botswana remains the continent’s most suitable address for mineral investment.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing Indaba, Moagi said government intends to woo financiers, renewable energy experts, as well as experts in coal mining.
"We are looking for partnerships in terms of financing in the technical know-how of renewable energy and technical know-how in the coal space where we have less emitting technologies, especially since we need to reduce our greenhouse gases,” he said. “We need those potentials to partner with locals and develop these projects. “They can come with expertise and money, as Batswana have the mining land.”
Moagi said the Indaba features all mining players under one roof, which gives Botswana an opportunity to sell its potential to whoever is interested.
"We are all aware of the energy situation the world over and we believe having awarded the 300MW coal fire power station recently, we should also find people who can assist those who won. “We will be talking to financiers and other people who are interested in that space.”
He further said Botswana had vast mineral resources that had been uncovered, adding that with more exploration, there is potential for even more discoveries. He said the key to unlocking the value of the minerals sector was partnerships.
"Sometimes you will find that someone has a quarry licence but does not have the capital to develop it and so we need to have partners who can partner with Batswana to start developing," he said.
Moagi said Botswana was a competitive mining address as the recently launched mining cadastre online service had boosted the efficiency with which investors can spot opportunities in the country.
For his part, Okavango Diamond Company (ODC) managing director, Mmetla Masire said the state diamond company had already received expressions of interest from other entities participating at the Indaba.
“We have found a number of people here who have already started to ask around about opportunities to work with us,” he told BusinessWeek. “For example, we had a close meeting with the Angolans who are interested in dealing with us around their diamonds. “We also had a conversation with the South African State Diamond Office and they are interested in what we are doing. “These are prospects that could yield results going forward.”
