Botswana to lift prospecting licence suspension

Botswana will lift the suspension on new prospecting licences for coal, coal-bed methane and related minerals by the end of this month, reports This Day. The country suspended new licenses in June, pending finalisation of a new strategy for the coal sector. Botswana's trade and industry minister, Dorcas Makgato-Malesu, said the suspension of licensing allowed the government to review its current strategy and come up with something better and aligned to the national vision and strategy of diversification. He added that Botswana must also diversify from its diamond sector, which generates half of the country’s revenue and a third of the gross domestic product (GDP).