Botswana recently joined the ERGI, an initiative meant to support the discovery and development of mineral reserves of strategic metals used to make battery electric vehicles.
“As a Botswana based manganese developer for the battery electric vehicle market, we are extremely pleased by this news. We believe that this global effort will raise awareness of the strategic importance of securing the supply chain of verifiably-sourced and ethically-produced battery metals.
“We at Giyani apply global mining best practices and adhere to a strict policy of health, safety, and environmental management. Through our close collaboration with the local authorities in Botswana, we believe that Giyani will be a significant contributor to this global effort,” said Robin Birchall, CEO of Giyani.
The foreign ministers of the ten ERGI countries met during the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 26, 2019, to discuss collaboration under the ERGI announced in June 2019 by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Energy Resources.
This initiative is designed to promote best practices in the mining sector and resilient energy mineral supply chains. It also aims to diversify the relatively concentrated production of some strategic metals, in particular, those that are critical to the manufacturing of electric vehicles.
In addition to the technical and professional aspects, ERGI will also encourage the adoption and implementation of high safety and environmental standards in all mineral development projects globally. This effort will, additionally, help ensure these projects are attractive to international investors.
The countries joining the United States include Australia, Botswana, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, the Philippines and Zambia. According to a U.S. official, the initiative is hopeful that Canada will join soon.