Beneficiation of Minerals can Create Lots of Employment and Revenue for Botswana

Mineral beneficiation is one way in which Botswana can generate more money to the country’s economy which is largely dependent on minerals such as diamond. Many economic experts have for a long time called on Botswana to beneficiate the country’s economy and create more jobs and increase revenue. Botswana’s minerals are still exported raw to developed countries that create many jobs for their people and sell finished products from these minerals to Botswana. One such a county is India, the country does not have any diamond mine but the country carries out massive cutting and polishing of diamonds as well as produce many products from the resource.

According to Botswana Chamber of mines Chief Executive Officer Charles Siwawa Botswana is exporting hundreds of jobs and losing a lot of money due to lack of beneficiation of minerals. He gave as example the BCL mine ore which has since shut down as government says the nickel has depleted.

Hundreds of miners lost their jobs when the mine finally shut down. The Selibephikwe town where the mine is located has become a serious ghost town. He said the ore in the mine can be beneficiated and turned into steel which can create huge employment. ‘‘Although the mine has shut down we can still beneficiate the ore,”he argued. He called on government to heed to engineers and mining experts and implement beneficiation of ore at BCL.

Botswana said Siwawa, has significant quantities of minerals ranging from diamonds, gold, coal, copper nickel iron, lead, zink, silver as well as uranium.