13 Mar 2019

Botswana Geoscience Institute (BGI) chief executive officer, Mr Tiyapo Ngwisanyi, has expressed desire for his organisation to be among leading centres in the production of quality and comprehensive geoscience information.

Speaking to media in Lobatse during a recent tour of their facilities, Mr Ngwisanyi said geoscience information was essential for making informed decisions on land-use and planning.

He added that geoscience information was important for location and development of mineral, energy, and water resources, identification of suitable sites for development of infrastructure such as roads, railways, pipelines, dams, and buildings, as well as identification and preparation for natural hazards such as earthquakes, and protection of sensitive ecosystems.

“As custodian of geoscience information we are involved in any research that concerns geoscience in Botswana. We engage people who can assist us with promoting the exploration for minerals and inform the nation what information we have. We know what minerals are contained in Botswana, we know who is exploring where and who has found what and where,” he said.

The BGI chief said the mandate of his organisation, which was established in 2014 following transformation of the then Department of Geological Survey, was to promote search and exploration for minerals in Botswana, and play advisory role in respect of geoscience and geo-hazards.

He explained therefore that they were dedicated to collection of geoscience data, interpreting and processing it into quality information for various players in the economy to use for informed decisions-making.

“We undertake research in the field of geoscience and provide specialized geoscientific services,” he added.

He said they produced geoscience information in their laboratories, and also collect information from exploration companies, geotechnical people, researchers and academia, which they then synthesised to build a knowledge base for industries such as the mineral, energy, water, and the hazards sectors.

The director of science delivery at BGI, Mr Puso Akanyang explained that they had strategic projects in place to gain Botswana a competitive advantage in mining and geoscience. 

He said these projects included searching for minerals to stimulate exploration, promotion of sustainable development and geo-hazards investigations and monitoring.

Concerning mining, he pointed that Botswana was over the years ranked amongst the top 10 but had since declined in the rankings due to certain things concerning the geoscientific packages not coming through. 

He said mapping did not cover the entire country due to sand and other issues, but BGI was now using geo-physical surveys to interpret the blank areas and provide the missing information.

“This kind of information can be used by local and international investors to participate in mining,” he said.

Mr Akanyang explained that there was a big project currently being undertaken by government in respect to promotion of mineral information running between 2018 and 2023. 

He said the project entailed assessment of Mafic, Ultramafic and Granitic Complexes. 

“This project is looking at the entire country, assessing all the major rock complexes for high value metals, rare earths and other commodities that we can find from such complexes,” he said. ENDS