Amid challenges in the natural diamond sector, significant opportunities remain within Botswana’s mining industry, particularly in rare earth minerals, which are key to repositioning the country in line with the global shift toward alternative resources.

Speaking at the Botswana Mining and Energy Conference on Monday, Presidential Envoy on International Relations and Economic Development, Dr Farzam Kamalabadi, said the recent discovery of substantial rare earth mineral deposits in north west part of Botswana could play a pivotal role in diversifying the country’s mineral base away from diamonds.

Rare earth elements are critical in the production of electric vehicles, wind turbines, battery storage systems, defence electronics and advanced telecommunications infrastructure. 

Demand for these resources continues to surge alongside the global transition to renewable energy.

“As much as the diamond sector is facing global challenges, the mining industry still provides a lot of opportunities not only in diamonds, but also in base metals and rare earth minerals,” he said.

Dr Kamalabadi noted that the downturn in the diamond market had created the impression that the entire mining sector was in decline.

 However, he emphasised that there were emerging growth areas beyond diamonds.

He said government was prioritising copper and rare earth minerals as key drivers of economic transformation, supported by increased exploration in the Kalahari Copper Belt and improved digital access to geological data.

To maximise national returns from its mineral endowment, Botswana is advancing a new strategy focused on value chain development in non-diamond minerals.

According to Dr Kamalabadi, the country’s mineral policy will promote copper- and rare earth-led diversification, aimed at enhancing local empowerment, increasing citizen participation, and attracting sustainable investment.

 “Buy all accounts Botswana is a mining economy and the mining sector remains the backbone of the country’s economic structure and even in the face of adversity there are abandoned opportunities in other mineral mining that waits to be unlocked,” he said.

He added that plans were underway to implement a mineral resource development, exploitation and value chain beneficiation strategy.

 The initiative aims to accelerate development of diversified mineral value chains, drive investment into sustainable projects, and ensure meaningful citizen participation.

“We need to promote exploration in the Kalahari Copper Belt to discover new deposits. This should be achievable, as the necessary geological information is already available,” he said.

While acknowledging that diamonds have long been Botswana’s economic mainstay, Dr Kamalabadi stressed the importance of leveraging this legacy to position the country as a leader in the next phase of global mining.

He said this transformation would require collaboration between government, the private sector, business associations and other stakeholders.

Dr Kamalabadi also called for the reduction of bureaucratic barriers in governance and urged the private sector to play a stronger stewardship role in accelerating implementation of mining initiatives. ENDS