By Oscar Nkala
The government of Botswana has commenced a 3 year-long exploration programme that seeks to establish all types and quantities of minerals that occur beneath its Kalahari desert sands.
Local media reports said the aim of the wide-ranging exploration programme is to produce a new geological map and mineral catalogues that will attract and help potential investors make informed decisions.
Specifically, the programme seeks to establish battery metal mineralisation to ensure that the country benefits from the fast-emerging, battery-driven electric vehicle and information and communication technology gadget industries.
The project will focus on the study of granites, which are natural bearers of lithium ores. The government hopes the information gathered during the study will help diversify the mineral-based economy to end over-reliance on diamond mining.
The results of the exercise, to be led by the Botswana Geo-Sciences Institute, will be used to update mineralisation data produced in the last government-sanctioned geological sampling exercise in 1997.
