Botswana’s mining production rose 16.7 percent year-on-year in the first quarter mainly due to the completion of maintenance at the Orapa diamond mine, the first set of industry figures from Statistics Botswana showed on Friday.
Diamond output was the biggest contributor to growth in the first quarter, rising 26 percent.
Orapa, the world’s largest open cast mine, is operated by Debswana, a joint venture between the government of the southern African country and Anglo American unit De Beers.
Mining is the life-blood of the economy in Botswana where copper, gold, coal and silver are also mined.
Reuters
