25 May 2016

President Lt Gen. Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama has emphasised Botswana’s commitment towards improving and investing on energy generation. 

Speaking in an interview after his tour of the Midal Cables International Company in Mozambique on Tuesday, President Khama said government strived to find new means of improving energy generation and distribution.

As a way of improving energy generation, President Khama said government would invest in establishment of solar generating plants to supplement the already existing coal generating plants.

He said research had proved the existence of gas in some parts of the country, therefore government aimed at converting some of the coal operated energy generating sites and transform them in to gas operated sites.

President Khama said solar energy generation was another avenue where government intended to invest on.

Government, he said, imported about 80megawatts from Cahora Bassa hydroelectric site in Mozambique. He was however optimistic that Botswana could be self-sufficient.

He said the country was putting up hundreds kilometres of transmission lines all which would be directed to improving the supply of energy to many households. 

The President noted that government hoped to import such transmission lines from Mozambique hence the visit to Midal Cables, a company that specialised in the manufacturing of high voltage electricity cables.  

Furthermore, he said it was pleasing to note that some of the Botswana Power Cooperation personnel had already visited Midal Company to examine all the technical specifications of cables produced.

Giving the company’s overview, the chairperson of Midal board, Mr Hamid Al-Zayani said his factory had been in production in Mozambique since December 2014 and had the capacity to produce over 50 000 tons of rods and other aluminum items a year. 

He said his company had already begun exporting its products to six African countries being South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya and Nigeria.ENDS