No future for mining beyond 2050 – experts
Botswana‘s economic future is persistently put in doubt by some international commentators. As far as national income generation and provision of sustainable jobs are concerned, there are no guarantees.
Currently the mixed structured open economy is largely dependent on mineral revenue mainly from the diamond sector for foreign income generation and the government dominates, coordinates and regulates almost every sector of the middle income economy that Botswana is. This current setup in which the diamond sector alone is responsible for a quarter of the national treasury and is the largest single private sector employer is constantly viewed as an economic danger looming.
This sentiments were echoed again recently at a discussion hosted by the World Bank Group where they also released Botswana Mining Investment & Governance Review report. According to reports from the gathering it was emphasized that Botswana needed to move with speed and unearth other sources of revenue and income generation to breathe life into an economy that could otherwise be lifeless in a decade or two to come.
Specially Elected Member of Parliament, Ms Bogolo Kenewendo weighed on the same, urging that plans for a Botswana beyond Mining need to unfold as soon as yesterday. “We need to plan for a future that has a broader and diverse economy with a variety of sectors contributing significantly to the country‘s revenue pot,” she said. Kenewendo, a shrewd economic expert was also quoted saying that it was no longer a matter of choice to diversify the economy but an obligation.
“We need to find ways for mining revenue to trickle down to the rest of the citizenry and also increase the impact of mining revenues on areas where mines in Botswana are situated. Business linkages and cluster developments need to show evidence at rich mineral areas,” she said.
According to the youngest legislator in parliament, Botswana needs to devise ways in which mining revenues would benefit the rest of citizenry apart from free basic service, she said that would be archived by sharing national wealth with its people and wealth creation at an ordinary individual level.
Though mineral revenue increased by 63 % in 2016 financial year, with government pocketing tens of billions from mineral tax, dividends and mining royalties and recent figures presenting a positive outlook for most companies and stable profitability for Botswana’s largest mining company Debswana, fluctuating market commodity prices and closure of some mining companies raise concern over an uncertain future for Botswana’s economy.
2016 saw liquidation and shut down of some mining companies especially copper and nickel companies due to low commodity prices. BCL Mine, Tati Nickel, Mowana are some of the victims. Meanwhile some have been reported to be on the brink of reopening soon.
Debswana’s Damtshaa Mine has been put under care and maintenance. Debswana also reported a fortnight ago that their Letlhakane Mine, popularly known as DK 1, has reached the end of its lifespan with tailings project to take the operations not beyond 20 years to come.
Already prospected kimberlitic and precious deposits at the world’s largest diamond mine by value, Jwaneng Mine place the mine not beyond 2034 (Cut 8). All these factors and others which experts term unforeseen economic circumstances, expose Botswana to be vulnerable to a possible economic crush in a few decades to come unless something major is done to transform the economy and diversify national revenue sources.
At the Mining Investment & Governance Review report, Kenewendo observed that the World Bank Group’s Botswana Mining Investment and Governance Review report was expected to help government improve the sector’s performance and to attract further investment.
According to the review by the world economic think tank, even the Mining sector itself is poorly managed here in Botswana.
It was pointed out that ordinary Batswana citizens and remote area settlers were just spectators in the Mining industry wealth creation symposium. The World Bank observes that Mining contractors and big money business partnerships in the mining sector are largely enjoyed by foreign owned enterprises which collect millions and invest them across borders or in their native countries.
The review indicates that Botswana Government regulations and policies are not structured in a way that locals benefit from doing business with mining companies especially in areas of procurement, supplies, as well as human resource as foreign national continues to enjoy preference in highly technical and skilled areas of mining human resource.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security, Mr Kgomotso Abi agreed with the sentiments adding that Botswana needs to strengthen performance and address issues of concern to investors.
“We need to build an environment that will stimulate more investment in mineral extraction,” he said.
World Bank Country Representative, Ms Elene Imnadze said even though the mining sector immensely contributed to the development of Botswana, more still needs to be done to ensure mineral beneficiation, as well as secure a future for Botswana beyond mining.
“Other mines, more especially the copper ones, have had to close down due to low commodity prices. The copper mines, including BCL which is under provisional liquidation, remain closed even though base metal prices are beginning to increase slightly,” she continued.
According to the expert, government has to find ways of diversifying the economy and the capital generated from the mining sector should be invested into sectors that would be sustained beyond mining. She said this could be done by employing more people, building local suppliers and strengthening small and medium enterprises. Botswana’s Mining Investment and Governance Review was compiled to help strengthen the mining sector’s governance, investment, environment and development impact in Botswana.
It reviewed sector performance from the perspective of three main stakeholder groups -government, investors in the mining value chain, and civil society and it identifies gaps between declared and actual government policy and practice. In 2015 Government of Botswana established the Mineral Development Company as a wholly state owned independent company to manage Botswana is multibillion Pula mining sector portfolio.
The company which is still undergoing full setting up, resourcing its personnel and defining its area of business is expected to manage all government shares in the mining sector and also transform the sector to fully benefit Batswana and the economy. Since establishment MDCB has being facing challenges of formative obstacles especially in the area of securing prominent personnel for the sensitive mandate it’s geared to deliver. Recently MDCB was reported to have licked out its controversial CEO Paul Smith who is constantly blamed for liquidating Botswana’s oldest copper mining giant BCL Mine.
Business
LLR transforms from Company to Group reporting
Botswana Stock Exchange listed diversified real estate company, Letlole La Rona Limited (“LLR” or “the Company” or “the Group”), posted its first set of group financial statements which comprise the Company and Group consolidated accounts, which show strong financial performance for the six months ended 31 December 2023, with improvements across all key metrics.
The Company commenced the financial year with the appointment of a Deputy Chairperson, Mr Mooketsi Maphane, in order to bolster its governance and enhance leadership continuity through the development of a Board and Executive Management Succession Plan.
At operational level, LLR increased its shareholding in Railpark Mall from 32.79% to 57.79% and proudly took over the management of this prime asset.
The CEO of LLR, Ms Kamogelo Mowaneng commented “During the period under review, our portfolio continued to perform strongly, with improvements across all key metrics as a result of our ongoing focus on portfolio growth and optimisation.
“We are pleased to report a successful first half of the 2024 financial year, where we managed to not only grow the portfolio through strategic acquisitions and value accretive refurbishments but also recycled capital through the disposal of Moedi House as well as the ongoing sale of section titles at Red Square Apartments. The acquisition of an additional 25% stake in JTTM Properties significantly uplifted the value of our investment portfolio to P2.0 billion at a Group level. Our investment portfolio was further differentiated by the quality of our tenant base, as demonstrated by above market occupancy levels of 99.15% and strong collections of above 100% for the period”.
The growth in contractual revenue of 9% from the prior year’s P48.0 million to the current year P52.2 million, increased income from Railpark Mall, coupled with high collection rates, has enabled the company to declare a distribution of 9.11 thebe per linked unit, which is in line with the prior year.
In line with its strategic pillars of ‘Streamlined and Expanded Botswana Portfolio’ as well as ‘Quality African Assets’, the Group continuously monitors the performance of its investments to ensure that they meet the targeted returns.
“The Group continues to explore yield accretive opportunities for balance sheet growth and funding options that can be deployed to finance that growth” further commented the CEO of LLR Ms Kamogelo Mowaneng.
Ms Mowaneng further thanked the Group’s stakeholders for their continued support and stated that they look forward to unlocking further value in the Group.
Business
Botswana’s Electricity Generation Dips 26.4%
The Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) has reported a significant decrease in electricity generation for the fourth quarter of 2023, with output plummeting by 26.4%. This decline is primarily attributed to operational difficulties at the Morupule B power plant, as per the latest Botswana Index of Electricity Generation (IEG) released recently.
Local electricity production saw a drastic reduction, falling from 889,535 MWH in the third quarter of 2023 to 654,312 MWH in the period under review. This substantial decrease is largely due to the operational challenges at the Morupule B power plant. Consequently, the need for imported electricity surged by 35.6% (136,243 MWH) from 382,426 MWH in the third quarter to 518,669 MWH in the fourth quarter. This increase was necessitated by the need to compensate for the shortfall in locally generated electricity.
Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (ZESCO) was the principal supplier of imported electricity, accounting for 43.1% of total electricity imports during the fourth quarter of 2023. Eskom followed with 21.8%, while the remaining 12.1, 10.3, 8.6, and 4.2% were sourced from Electricidade de Mozambique (EDM), Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), Nampower, and Cross-border electricity markets, respectively. Cross-border electricity markets involve the supply of electricity to towns and villages along the border from neighboring countries such as Namibia and Zambia.
Distributed electricity exhibited a decrease of 7.8% (98,980 MWH), dropping from 1,271,961 MWH in the third quarter of 2023 to 1,172,981 MWH in the review quarter.
Electricity generated locally contributed 55.8% to the electricity distributed during the fourth quarter of 2023, a decrease from the 74.5% contribution in the same quarter of the previous year. This signifies a decrease of 18.7 percentage points. The quarter-on-quarter comparison shows that the contribution of locally generated electricity to the distributed electricity fell by 14.2 percentage points, from 69.9% in the third quarter of 2023 to 55.8% in the fourth quarter. The Morupule A and B power stations accounted for 90.4% of the electricity generated during the fourth quarter of 2023, while Matshelagabedi and Orapa emergency power plants contributed the remaining 5.9 and 3.7% respectively.
The year-on-year analysis reveals some improvement in local electricity generation. The year-on-year perspective shows that the amount of distributed electricity increased by 8.2% (88,781 MWH), from 1,084,200 MWH in the fourth quarter of 2022 to 1,172,981 MWH in the current quarter. The trend of the Index of Electricity Generation from the first quarter of 2013 to the fourth quarter of 2023 indicates an improvement in local electricity generation, despite fluctuations.
The year-on-year analysis also reveals a downward trend in the physical volume of imported electricity. The trend in the physical volume of imported electricity from the first quarter of 2013 to the fourth quarter of 2023 shows a downward trend, indicating the country’s continued effort to generate adequate electricity to meet domestic demand, has led to the decreased reliance on electricity imports.
In response to the need to increase local generation and reduce power imports, the government has initiated a new National Energy Policy. This policy is aimed at guiding the management and development of Botswana’s energy sector and encouraging investment in new and renewable energy. In the policy document, Minister of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security Lefoko Moagi stated that the policy aims to transform Botswana from being a net energy importer to a self-sufficient nation with surplus energy for export into the region. Moagi expressed confidence that Botswana has the potential to achieve self-sufficiency in electric power supply, given the country’s readily available energy resources such as coal and renewable sources.
Business
MMG acquires Khoemacau in a transaction valued at P23Bn
MMG Limited, the Hong Kong-based mining company specializing in base metals, has successfully concluded the acquisition of Khoemacau Copper Mine, a state-of-the-art, world-class copper asset nestled in the northwest of Botswana.
On Monday, MMG announced that the acquisition of Khoemacau Mine in Botswana was finalized on 22nd March 2024. “This acquisition enriches the company’s portfolio with a top-tier, transformative growth project and signifies a monumental milestone in the Company’s journey,” MMG communicated in an official statement published on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Upon completion of the acquisition, MMG remitted to the Sellers an Aggregate Consideration of approximately US$1,734,657,000 (over P23 billion), a sum subject to potential adjustments post-Completion.
In addition to the Aggregate Consideration, MMG, in accordance with the Agreement, advanced an aggregate amount of approximately US$348,580,000 (over P4.5 billion) as the Aggregate Debt Settlement Amount, to settle certain debt balances of the Target Group (Cuprous Capital/Khoemacau).
On November 21, 2023, Khoemacau announced that the shareholders of its parent company [Cuprous Capital] had agreed to sell 100% of their interests to MMG Limited.
MMG is a global resources company that mines, explores, and develops copper and other base metals projects on four continents. The company is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, and has a significant shareholder, China Minmetals Corporation, which is China’s largest metals and minerals group owned by the Government of the People’s Republic of China.
On December 22, 2023, Khoemacau Copper Mining (Pty) Ltd received the approval from the Minister of Minerals and Energy of Botswana regarding the transfer of a controlling interest in the Project Licenses and Prospecting Licenses associated with the Khoemacau Copper Mine, a result of the Acquisition.
The Botswana Competition & Consumer Authority (CCA) on January 29, 2024, notified the market that it had given its approval for the takeover of Khoemacau Copper Mining by MMG Limited.
On January 29, 2024, the CCA issued a merger decision to the market, stating that after conducting all necessary assessments, it was ready to proceed.
The Competition Authority affirmed that the structure of the relevant market would not significantly change upon implementation of the proposed merger as the proposed transaction is not likely to result in a substantial lessening of competition, nor endanger the continuity of service in the market of mining of copper and silver ores and the production, and sale or supply of copper concentrate in Botswana.
Furthermore, the CCA stated that the proposed merger would not have any negative impact on public interest matters in Botswana as per the provisions of section 52(2) of the Competition Act 2018.
Earlier this month, Minister of Minerals & Energy, Lefoko Maxwell Moagi, informed parliament that his Ministry was endorsing the Khoemacau acquisition by MMG Limited. He noted that not only was the company acquiring the existing operation but also committing to an expansion program that would cost over $700 million to double production, create more jobs for Batswana, and increase taxes and royalties paid to the Government.