Botswana latches wishes on China – Africa relation in Solar Energy

By Abdul Rahman Bangura–

Photo Credit: Climate action

NEW AFRICA BUSINESS NEWS (NABN) Freetown, Sierra Leone – The Southern Africa nation of Botswana has ventured on an enterprising stint of transitioning from over dependency on coal for electricity generation toward boosting the share of renewable energies, Lefoko Moagi asserted – Botswana’s Minister of Minerals and Energy, intimated Xinhua. Moagi, at the threshold of August 2022, attended the International Solar Alliance (ISA)’s Fourth Regional Committee Meeting in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, told Botswana’s quest for solar energy development could be felt through China’s potential and involvement.

“Users of solar energy technology in Botswana should be working closely with manufacturers of the technology in China,” mumbled Moagi, intensified that, he learnt a lot from the ISA meeting which brought together African energy ministers to discuss ways of generating long-term outcomes to energy depletion in Africa using solar energy resources.

Botswana produces its electricity from coal and it is doing everything within its power to move toward increasing the share of renewable energies. The Minister of Energy, let out, the nation’s power utility Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) previously rolled out two solar projects with different private players – a 3MW in the Northeastern Botswana and a 1MW in the Northwestern village of Shakawe – for them to generate and feed into national grid.

Executive Director Gabaake Gabaake, at Tlou Energy Limited, a self-reliant provider of clean energy in Botswana, told Xinhua on past Friday in a dissimilar interview that making use of Chinese technology and manpower to develop renewable energy resources would spur Botswana’s transition from carbon emissions.

“We need private sector that will focus on manufacturing solar pumps and other productive use applications. And the Chinese are the only with the expertise,” said Gabaake, saying Botswana can make strides through a linkage between her and China.

In coalition with some private players, President Mokgweetsi Masisi just declared openly that Botswana is scheduling to build a solar power plant that will produce 25 gigawatts of electricity. Tardily in 2021, Masisi also confirmed that Botswana is intending for to transmit small-scale digester plants to reduce greenhouse emissions by 1.65 million tons of carbon dioxide by next year in a bid to fulfill deduction of national carbon emissions to 15% by 2030.

For New Africa Business News (NABN) Abdul Rahman Bangura Reports,  Africa Correspondent