09 Oct 2025

Expo Botswana kicks off in Gaborone this week, one of the most anticipated sessions centres on the role of mining and critical minerals in shaping Botswana’s future.

Managing Director of Gcwihaba Resources (Pty) Ltd and Chairperson of Tsodilo Resources Limited, Mr James Bruchs shared insights into the company’s expansive portfolio in Ngamiland, including an advanced rare earth and critical minerals project.

Mr Bruchs emphasised the transformative potential of Tsodilo’s projects, not just for investors, but for Botswana’s economic and employment landscape.

“Our projects are both job creators and revenue generators that will benefit Batswana and the government alike,” Mr Bruchs stated.

He said while Tsodilo was widely known for its Xaudum Iron Formation (XIF), a vast iron magnetite deposit in Ngamiland that could rank among the top 10 globally in terms of scale, he drew attention to another quietly groundbreaking initiative; the company’s critical minerals and rare earth elements (REE) exploration program.

He said the Ngamiland, part of the Kalahari Desert, presents a unique exploration challenge as thick layers of sand conceal the geological surface.

“Undeterred, Tsodilo undertook a massive 24 000 line-kilometer geophysical magnetic survey, one of the most detailed of its kind, to uncover what lies beneath,” he said. “When you are looking for one thing, you often find something else,” Mr Bruchs noted.

He pointed out that they discovered skarns, some altered rocks enriched through intense chemical and geological processes.

He explained that those skarns, in Tsodilo’s case, contain an enviable mix of light rare earth elements, precious metals (gold and silver) and base metals like cobalt, copper and iron.

“Our skarn mineralisation includes 20 of the 40 critical minerals listed by the US Geological Survey,” Mr Bruchs added.

He said he was optimistic that Botswana could see its first rare earth mine.

“We have the most advanced REE project in Botswana, we are working with USA entities to produce a compliant Resource Statement and Preliminary Economic Assessment, likely in 2026,” he said.

He drew parallels with the Mountain Pass mine in the USA, which had drawn Department of Defense interest for its strategic neodymium-praseodymium resources, minerals also present in Tsodilo’s Ngamiland project.

Meanwhile Mr Bruchs said during a fieldwork pause caused by previous licensing disputes, Tsodilo turned its focus to ‘white hydrogen’ a naturally occurring, carbon-free form of hydrogen, increasingly seen as a potential future energy game changer.

“We spent two years with AI consultants identifying areas in Botswana with white hydrogen potential,” Mr Bruchs revealed, adding that it was still early days, but promising.

Mr Bruchs credited the Botswana government’s renewed support, saying collaboration was key to the future. ENDS