China and Botswana Deepen Mining Cooperation with US$900 Million Copper Mine Expansion Project

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 13, China and Botswana issued a joint statement on the establishment of a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, listing the Khoemacau copper mine as a specific project under bilateral cooperation on sustainable mineral development, and agreeing to implement the green minerals cooperation document. The copper mine is operated by MMG, a subsidiary of China Minmetals, and is currently carrying out an expansion project with an investment of approximately US$900 million, planning to increase annual copper-in-concentrate production to 130,000 tonnes, with the first copper concentrate from the expanded operation expected in the first half of 2028.

According to the joint statement, the two countries will cooperate in sustainable mineral development and energy transition through the implementation of projects including the Khoemacau copper mine. Botswana's accession to the International Economic and Trade Cooperation Initiative on Green Minerals was welcomed by both sides. The two countries will also jointly implement the Memorandum of Understanding on Green Minerals Cooperation and continue diamond sector cooperation through the Kimberley Process, encouraging the expansion of Botswana diamond products' access to the Chinese market.

The Khoemacau copper mine is located in Botswana's Kalahari Copper Belt. MMG approved the implementation of the expansion project in December 2025 and announced the official launch of the expansion works in February 2026. The project plans to add a concentrator with an annual processing capacity of 4.5 million tonnes, extend mining operations to the Zone 5 North, Mango and Zeta North-East deposits, and increase the mine's total concentrator processing capacity to more than 8 million tonnes per year. Upon completion of the expansion, the mine's associated silver production target exceeds 4 million ounces per year.

According to the project progress published by MMG, in the first half of 2026, the expansion project continued with engineering design, procurement and on-site construction. Foundation backfilling in the grinding area and excavation in the flotation area have been completed, and large-scale earthworks and open-pit cut construction are being advanced. During the construction and commissioning of the expansion project, the number of on-site employees and contractors is expected to peak at more than 4,000, and during the normal production phase after 2028, it is expected to be approximately 3,200.

MMG is also studying the possibility of further increasing copper production on the basis of Khoemacau's existing expansion plan, with a long-term expansion study target of 200,000 tonnes of copper-in-concentrate per year. This target belongs to subsequent expansion studies and is calculated separately from the production target of the already-approved expansion project.