LAGOS, Aug 24 – Botswana has granted three new uranium prospecting licences to Orano Mining, expanding the French state-owned company’s exploration presence as the southern African country seeks to develop mineral resources beyond its traditional dependence on diamonds.
According to a Reuters report, the new licences cover three blocks in Botswana’s central Kalahari Desert, each measuring about 970 hectares, according to records on the country’s mining licensing portal. The licences cover uranium and pitchblende prospecting and are valid for three years, expiring in March 2029.
The latest awards add to 15 uranium prospecting licences granted in October 2025 to Orano’s subsidiary, Compagnie Française de Mines et Métaux. The expansion gives the French group a significant exploration footprint in an area where Botswana is seeking to develop its uranium potential.
Uranium is primarily used as fuel for nuclear power generation. Botswana has identified significant uranium resources but currently has no operating uranium mines. Its neighbour Namibia, by comparison, is one of the world’s leading uranium producers.
The renewed focus on uranium comes as Botswana faces pressure to diversify an economy heavily dependent on diamonds. The global diamond market has experienced a prolonged downturn, partly due to increasing competition from laboratory-grown diamonds, weighing on the country’s traditional source of export earnings.
The government is therefore seeking to develop other mineral resources, including uranium and copper, as it looks for new sources of investment, exports and economic growth.
Orano’s growing presence in Botswana also follows the French company’s difficult experience in Niger. Following a military coup in 2023, Niger’s authorities accused Orano and France of exploitation and unfair practices. The dispute culminated in the nationalisation of Orano’s 63.4%-owned SOMAIR uranium operation and the company’s operational departure from the country in 2025.
Botswana’s relationship with Orano has developed alongside high-level diplomatic engagement. Records from the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority show that Orano established a local subsidiary on April 10, 2026, shortly after President Duma Boko met French President Emmanuel Macron and Orano officials in France on April 8.
Boko has also indicated that the government wants to accelerate the development of the uranium sector and potentially use future production to support domestic nuclear power ambitions. In May, he said, “We are looking to speed up the process so that they can get to extraction. We can then get to developing nuclear reactors, generate power.”
For Botswana, the development of uranium exploration could provide an opportunity to broaden the mining sector and reduce the economy’s exposure to fluctuations in diamond demand. However, the new licences remain at the exploration stage, meaning any potential commercial production would depend on the scale and viability of deposits identified through further work.
The expansion of Orano’s exploration activities therefore represents an early step in Botswana’s broader effort to establish uranium as a potential new pillar of its mineral economy while attracting investment into resources beyond diamonds.
