De Beers Botswana Managing Director `Stable' After Attack by Lion on Farm

Bloomberg

Botswana Expects Fuel Shortage Until March, Energy Ministry Says

BusinessWeek: "Botswana is experiencing a shortage of fuel that will probably continue until March, the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Affairs said.

The situation is being managed and won’t affect economic output, the Gaborone-based ministry said in e-mailed statement today. The government is trying to import fuel from Namibia and Mozambique because of disruptions in supplies from South Africa and has released a total 17.4 million liters (4.6 million gallons) from its stocks, it said.
“The supply shortage is likely to continue up to March 2011, and the government will continue to work diligently with the oil industry to manage the situation in order to avoid any interruptions to the economy,” the ministry said."

Mining sector forecast to grow 8 percent

Mmegi: "Botswana's mining sector is forecast to grow by an average eight percent between now and 2015 with investments in new projects underpinning the growth, analysts predict."

Pula slid against the Rand

Botswana Gazette

P13 million loss at Botswana Post

Botswana Gazette

IMF advises Botswana to cut expenditure

The Botswana Gazette

Nedbank Plans Botswana ETF Listing

emii.com: "The portfolio will be listed on the stock exchange by February 2011. It will be the exact replica of the FTSE/JSE Top 40 Index, a measure of South Africa’s 40 most prominent companies."

Report applauds Barclays growth

Mmegi: "Barclays Bank Botswana has registered remarkable growth in the past few years, taking calculated risks which have borne fruit with operations growing both in value and market coverage, analysts say.

According to a counter analysis report by Stockbrokers Botswana, the bank - which recently entered the Bancassurance market - has managed to almost double its footprint in the past four years while its assets and profits have also significantly firmed."

Recently released market study

Botswana Mining Report Q1 2011: "In December 2010, Australian copper miner Discovery Metals plans to commence construction on its Boseto copper project in the Kalahari copper belt, following the completion of a bankable feasibility study (BFS) for the project. In August 2010, Discovery announced a JORC-compliant initial reserve estimate at Boseto of 24.1mn tonnes (at 1.3% Cu and 16.7 g/t Ag above a cut-off grade of 0.3% Cu). The total JORC-compliant mineral resource for Boseto is 102.8mn tonnes, at 1.4% Cu and 17.3g/t Ag, containing 1.4mn tonnes of copper and 57mn oz of silver."

Moody’s Expects Botswana’s Deficit to Continue

Diamonds.net"RAPAPORT... Moody’s Investor Service expects Botswana to remain in deficit in the short to medium term, based on the slow pace of the diamond industry’s recovery. The rating agency downgraded its outlook on the country’s A2 government bond ratings from stable to negative, explaining that the financial downturn also had a profound effect on Botswana’s economy. Kristin Lindow, Moody’s senior vice president and regional credit officer for Africa, said that Botswana’s fiscal deficit will be particularly large again next year — and possibly beyond next year — due to the cost of completing its capital expenditure projects, which are designed to promote economic diversification and the expansion of the private sector."

BoB Plans To Acquire A Bank In Botswana

DealCurry: "Bank of Baroda (BoB) is planning to acquire a bank in Botswana, through its Botswana-based subsidiary for around $100 Mn, to expand its global footprint."

Australian Market Report of January 10, 2011: Strzelecki (ASX:STZ) Granted Copper Exploration Licence in Poland

Australian Market Report of January 10, 2011: Strzelecki (ASX:STZ) Granted Copper Exploration Licence in Poland: "Botswana Metals Limited (ASX:BML) has received additional laboratory results for DBRC014 hole at its Dibete prospect in Botswana. The results includes 3m at 9.16% Cu and 894 g/t Ag from a depth of 16m. The results confirm continuity and thickness of the supergene blanket of copper and silver over a distance of approximately 200 metres. The Company will commence further drilling during the March Quarter for further assessment of this supergene Cu-Ag mineralisation."

BoB may acquire bank in Botswana

BoB may acquire bank in Botswana: "Cashing in on the increasingly lucrative business ties between India and other African countries, Bank of Baroda, the third largest public sector bank is planning to acquire a bank in Botswana."

SACU revenues to slide by P2.1bn - IMF

Mmegi Online

As government pushes for a balanced budget by 2012/13, the IMF predicts that SACU revenues will slide by 32 percent to P4.3 billion this year, before recovering to an average of P6.5 billion from 2012 to 2015. The revenues are a far cry from the average P9.3 billion paid to Botswana from the SACU pool between 2006 and 2009.

Botswana Metals hits 38m at 1.72% copper and 119.5g/t silver at Dibete

Proactiveinvestors (AU)

Shares in Botswana Metals (ASX: BML) have jumped 242% as the company reports the results of its recent Reverse Circulation drilling program at its Airstrip Copper anomaly in Botswana.