Botswana Mining Review Comprehensive Coverage of the Progress and Achievements in the Mining Sector
Related Articles
This month, the renowned Mining and Technical Exhibitions (MTE) Botswana, takes place in three locations-Letlhakane, Palapye and Jwaneng. The MTE events will take place throughout the country and other African countries with the main aim being to nurture the mining and related industries by showcasing the latest technologies and solutions that can help improve productivity, safety and energy efficiency.
Operations Manager for MTE, Andrew Macnamara said that the past 24 months have been challenging for mining and manufacturing, but he was optimistic about the future. “Covid-19 has had long-lasting effects on many industries across the globe but with Africa’s tenacity and resilience, we can navigate through these uncertain times and make a full recovery. At the upcoming MTE Botswana events, visitors will be able to meet suppliers that can provide products, services and solutions that improve safety protocols, reduce costs, and increase output.
Botswana’s state-owned Okavango Diamond Company sold rough diamonds worth $963 million last year. It was the company’s highest revenue since it began operations in 2012. In 2021, the state-run diamond trader reported record revenues, with sales nearly five times higher as a result of US exports.
Natural rough diamond demand remained strong in 2021, owing primarily to positive market sentiment in key markets such as the United States. After De Beers, the world’s largest diamond producer, pushed through one of its most aggressive price increases in recent years, sales may rise even more this year. In its only auction this year, Okavango received higher than usual prices.
Botswana’s mining industry consists mainly of diamonds which accounts for approximately a third of government revenue. Other mined minerals include copper, coal, gold, silver, semi-precious stones, and granite. Botswana reportedly also has untapped uranium, lead, and zinc reserves.
RS Components South Africa will also attend the MTE Botswana events and will showcase some of the latest products in automation & control, test & measurement, safety equipment and tools. RS Components is a global industrial distributor based in the UK with operations in over 32 countries with over 1.2 million customers. Erick Wessels, Africa Export Sales Manager for RS South Africa said that these events present an opportunity to touch base with customers and to engage on how suppliers can help local operations improve and grow.
RS Components has a dedicated Exports website for Africa, where businesses can order online, and once payment is received the goods are shipped out from the UK and delivered to customers within 3-5 working days. RS Components only deals with leading OEMs and component manufacturers like FLUKE, Schneider, Siemens, 3M, FESTO, OMRON and SKF to name a few. This consolidation of suppliers has allowed the company to build an offering of over 650 000 products that are kept in stock across twelve global distribution centres, making it seamless to transfer stock from one location to the next depending on what customers require. Customers in Africa now have easy access to the entire product range plus they can also check their delivery costs in real-time online at www.RSonline.africa
