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Kenya seeks lessons from Botswana as mining sector gears for takeoff

“We have a lot to learn from the Botswana experience and we want to see how we can put this in our context in Kenya,” said the CS.

Besides making the argument for government to play a leading part in the sector, Kazungu said governance plays a crucial role in the guest to exploit mineral wealth to benefit citizens.

“Governance, governance and governance. If you get it wrong you are in trouble, and that speaks to what we have seen in many African countries. You could be having a lot of resources but without proper governance structures, institutions and legal framework it becomes very problematic,” he said.

Kazungu spoke after President Kenyatta and his delegation toured the Diamond Trading Company Botswana (DTC Botswana) in Gaborone and later visited the Orapa Diamond Mine in Orapa on Wednesday.

DTC Botswana is jointly owned by the government of Botswana and De Beers Group and is the world’s largest and most sophisticated rough diamond sorting and valuing venture.

Orapa mine is the largest diamond mine in the world and has been in operation since 1971. The mine is an open pit and operates seven days a week, producing 20 million tons of ore per year. In 2010 Orapa Mine produced 9.56 million carats of gold.

The President and his delegation’s visit comes at a time when Kenya is engaged in operations to harness its mineral wealth to boost its economy.

Kenya expects to become a producer and exporter of petroleum in the near future. The mining of Gold and other minerals have thrived in some regions of the country but at a very low scale.

Kenya has also joined the league of titanium exporting countries with the first exports leaving the country in 2014.

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Lessons learnt from countries like Botswana are expected to give an impetus for the expansion of the mining sector.

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