Côte d'Ivoire and Botswana Strengthen Mining and Energy Cooperation

Ivorian Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Energy Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly and Botswana's Minister of Minerals and Energy, Bogolo Joy Kenewendo, signed on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Gaborone the first-ever cooperation agreement between Côte d'Ivoire and Botswana in the mining and energy sectors.

The agreement covers all strategic segments of the sector, including geological research, mineral exploration, the diamond industry, gold resources, critical minerals, governance, capacity building, and institutional cooperation.

The partnership will enable Côte d'Ivoire to draw on Botswana's expertise and best practices to transform its geological potential into sustainable economic development and support its ambitions for the mining sector.

For Côte d'Ivoire, Botswana's experience represents far more than a success story—it offers a proven model of economic transformation. Over the past five decades, Botswana has built an integrated diamond industry, mastering the entire value chain from exploration and production to processing and marketing, while using sound governance of mining revenues as a driver of national development.

"We are drawing inspiration from the Botswana model to transform Côte d'Ivoire's mining sector," said Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly.

The minister emphasized that Côte d'Ivoire is now one of the most dynamic mining jurisdictions in West Africa. World-class discoveries at Koné, Tanda-Iguela, and Doropo, together with promising prospects in manganese, nickel, lithium, and diamonds, have significantly strengthened the country's attractiveness to investors. He noted that the challenge is no longer simply to discover mineral deposits, but to convert geological wealth into industrial development, skilled jobs, and greater value addition.

He also welcomed the rapid progress made since his first mission to Gaborone in February, highlighting that technical exchanges had intensified, culminating in a visit by Botswana experts to the diamond sites of SODEMI to identify the first joint cooperation projects.

"These various missions have enabled us to identify concrete projects that will be implemented under this Memorandum of Understanding," he stated.

The minister further stressed that the cooperation is intended to benefit the private sector. According to him, the protocol establishes "a favorable environment for developing partnerships between Ivorian and Botswana private companies," with the objective of turning institutional cooperation into tangible investments, technology transfer, and industrial projects.