Botswana has unveiled a new initiative designed to transform its mining expertise into a globally marketable service by exporting skilled professionals.
This follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs and Naledi Mining Services Company, creating pathways for qualified Batswana to access mining employment opportunities both regionally and internationally.
The partnership establishes a structured system to identify, prepare, and connect mining professionals with employers abroad. It is expected to boost workforce mobility, expand employment prospects, and position Botswana as a competitive supplier of mining talent.
At the signing ceremony, Minister of Labour and Home Affairs Major General (Rtd) Pius Mokgware attributed Botswana’s unemployment challenges in part to strategic failures by previous leadership in aligning education and skills development with the country’s economic strengths. “You know, leadership strategic failures. This part of this unemployment is created by the leadership, by the former leadership of this country. They created this unemployment by being unable to think strategically. The country had resources. The country had an opportunity to make sure that Batswana can strive in any other difficulty where diamonds are not forever. What was the thinking? What was the plan? What was the type of education which has been given?” Mokgware said.
Emphasizing Botswana’s status as a mining-led economy, he said the country should have developed specialized skills tailored to the sector’s needs. “We are a mine-led economy. Being a mine-led economy, it means that everything what we were doing and we could have been doing has to be mine-led,” he said.
Mokgware stressed that mining requires expertise beyond general qualifications, noting that professionals must possess industry-specific knowledge to remain competitive. “Medical aspect in terms of working around injuries related to mining, you know, psychologies, financial aspects in terms of diamonds. You know, you can be a chartered accountant, but if you have never done anything sales of diamonds, you don’t have that expertise, which is a prerequisite for you to be an accountant in the mining industry,” he explained.
He described the initiative as an opportunity to address historical gaps by preparing younger generations for future economic realities. “What are you looking at? Remember at one time, it’s almost like we’re discarding. This is what a discarded generation. A discarded generation. A generation which nobody has ever critically taken them seriously,” Mokgware said.
He warned against repeating past mistakes, insisting that education should be forward-looking and relevant to the economy. “Our education should be relevant to the future. Our education should be relevant to our economy. We should be producing a Motswana who will be able to strive to survive in the economy which we are creating ourselves,” he said.
The MoU was signed by Naledi Mining Services Chief Executive Officer Bokang Thitoyamore and the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Rule Jimmy Opelo, in the presence of Minister Mokgware, government officials, and industry stakeholders. Central to the initiative is the Naledi Mining Talent Bank, a platform designed to identify skilled mining professionals, enhance their readiness for international opportunities, and link them with employers across various mining jurisdictions.
This program aims to leverage Botswana’s decades of mining experience by turning technical knowledge and industry expertise into an exportable service. Through this approach, Botswana hopes to create new career opportunities for Batswana, generate foreign income, and strengthen human capital development.
The mining skills export agreement represents a shift from Botswana’s traditional dependence on mineral revenues toward capitalizing on its accumulated mining knowledge as a tradable resource. While diamonds have historically driven economic growth, the initiative recognizes that technical skills, experience, and specialized knowledge can become alternative sources of value in an increasingly competitive global mining industry.
By establishing a talent pipeline connected to international markets, Botswana seeks to reduce unemployment among skilled professionals and reinforce its position as a provider of mining expertise. The success of this initiative, however, will hinge on sustained investment in training, industry certification, and aligning local skills development with evolving global mining demands.
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Naledi Mining Services partnership aims to open global job markets for Batswana professionals