Botswana Launches State-Owned Mineral Exploration Company to Boost Investment and Partnerships

Botswana Launches State-Owned Mineral Exploration Company to Boost Investment and Partnerships. The Botswana government has established a state-owned mineral exploration company as part of efforts to strengthen exploration activity and unlock more value from the country’s mineral resources.

Announcing the development at the ongoing Mining Indaba in Cape Town, Minister of Minerals and Energy Bogolo Kenewendo said the decision was taken to address a persistent lack of investment in mineral exploration. She noted that limited funding over many years had constrained the country’s ability to fully assess and develop its mineral potential.

According to Kenewendo, the new entity will focus on supporting exploration in critical minerals and strategic mining opportunities. She explained that Botswana holds extensive historical geological data accumulated over decades by companies such as De Beers and Anglo American, which has not yet been fully consolidated or updated.

“We have just established a government exploration business. There hasn’t been enough investment in exploration in the country. We sit on a lot of historical data from De Beers, Anglo American, and other companies collected over decades, and we now need to consolidate that information and enrich it with new data going forward,” she said.

Kenewendo added that the state-owned exploration company will actively seek partnerships with private sector players to advance local exploration efforts. She said government is open to collaborative models that allow investors to work alongside the state, particularly in early-stage exploration.

“With this exploration business, we will be open to working with private sector players who want to collaborate with us on a first-mover advantage. We have a strong case study in Debswana as a successful public-private partnership in mining, so why can’t we replicate that model across other mineral commodities?” she said.

The minister also highlighted government’s focus on expanding activity in copper and other critical minerals. She said work is already underway to support the development of copper and manganese industries, with particular attention on the Kalahari Copper Belt and its associated value chains.

The establishment of the exploration company marks a new step in Botswana’s approach to mineral development and exploration coordination.