Speaking during the signing ceremony in Gaborone on Thursday, the Minister of Minerals and Energy , Ms Bogolo Kenewendo,  described the move  as the beginning of a new chapter in African partnerships built on shared expertise, investment and industrial development.

She said the partnership reflected a shared commitment by Botswana and Côte d›Ivoire to mobilise investment, develop skills, strengthen institutions and create value across the continent.

“For the first time, Botswana has developed a cooperation with another African country, Côte d›Ivoire, that taps into our good standing as Africa›s leading mining jurisdiction,” she said.

The minister said the cooperation was not simply about exploiting minerals, but exporting Botswana’s knowledge, institutions and expertise that had built one of the world’s most respected mining jurisdictions.

She said the country’s greatest resource was not beneath the ground, but within its people and institutions, adding that Botswana was now beginning to export that resource to the rest of Africa.

Minister Kenewendo said Africa could no longer continue with a model of exporting raw materials, whilst importing prosperity, expertise and technology from outside the continent.

She said the continent’s mineral and energy resources should become catalysts for industrialisation, innovation, energy security and inclusive growth, with success measured not only by what countries extracted from the ground, but by the industries they built, the jobs they created and the opportunities they left for future generations.

Although endowed with different mineral resources, she said Botswana and Côte d›Ivoire, shared similar aspirations to use their mineral and energy wealth as a foundation for diversified economies, stronger institutions and shared prosperity.

Further, the minister said cooperation between the two countries had already begun before the signing of the MoU, with ministers and technical teams having met to identify areas of collaboration.

She said Botswana Exploration Investment Company and SODEMI had already brought together geologists and exploration experts to jointly assess opportunities in diamonds, gold and critical minerals.

Minister Kenewendo said work undertaken from the Bobi Kimberlite Dyke to the Tortiya alluvial diamond deposits had demonstrated the value of combining Botswana’s globally recognised expertise in diamond exploration with Côte d›Ivoire›s growing mineral potential.

She added that Botswana Oil Limited and Société Ivoirienne de Raffinage had also begun exploring strategic collaboration aimed at strengthening petroleum supply, improving energy security and unlocking future investment opportunities for both countries.

Ms Kenewendo said the strongest partnerships were measured not by the documents signed, but by the projects implemented.

She said the MoU established a framework for expanded cooperation covering geological research, mineral exploration and exploitation, petroleum development, renewable energy, skills transfer, institutional strengthening, innovation and investment.

The minister also welcomed Botswana’s invitation as the Guest Country of Honour at the Second International Exhibition of Extractive Resources and Energy (SIREXE) 2026 in Côte d›Ivoire.

She also noted that President Advocate Duma Gideon Boko had confirmed his participation in the event, adding that Botswana was expected to showcase its investment opportunities whilst strengthening partnerships across the continent.

Minister Kenewendo said Botswana’s next chapter of exports would extend beyond diamonds, copper and coal to include the country’s knowledge, institutions, excellence and ability to attract investment, ‘as the true measure of national development’.

For his part, Côte d›Ivoire’s Ministry of Mines, Petroleum and Energy minister, Mr Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly, said the MoU signing was an industrialisation of the diplomatic relations between the two nations.

The historic partnership, he said should create favourable conditions for both Botswana and Côte d›Ivoire companies by boosting private-sector partnerships, technical training and scientific exchange. He also confirmed Botswana as the guest of honour for the upcoming Côte d›Ivoire’s SIREXE minerals and energy exhibition.

“This is a foundation for broader cooperation that paves way for sectors of common interest, based on, among others,” he said.

Minister Sangafowa-Coulibaly thanked President Boko for affording him and his delegation an opportunity to meet them.

Additionally, he thanked the Botswana technical team for the quality of discussions that took place during the engagement between the two countries’ technical teams in February 2026. ENDS