The Botswana Ministry of Minerals has placed before parliament its proposal for a new legislation that allow locals to purchase a 24 percent stake from mining companies.
The draft bill indicates that this mandate will apply if the government opts not to exercise its right to acquire the same shareholding.
Furthermore, the proposal aims to amend the current Mines and Minerals Act, which permits the Botswana government to acquire a 15 percent interest in mining projects upon licensing.
To further make sense of all this and unpack what this means for the people of Botswana and its government, Peter Ndoro spoke to Botswana's Sunday Standard Newspaper Business Editor, Victor Baatweng.