• Canadian miner Pioneer Lithium secures exploration licence for the 815 km² Botsalano uranium project in Botswana.

• Botsalano joins Namibia’s Gaobis and Warmbad in Pioneer’s growing African uranium portfolio.

• CEO Michael Beven says the move strengthens Pioneer’s goal of supplying minerals crucial to the global clean-energy transition.

Pioneer Lithium announced on July 15 that it had obtained a uranium exploration licence for its Botsalano project in Botswana, marking the company’s latest push into Africa’s uranium sector.

This new licence adds to Pioneer’s growing portfolio in southern Africa, following a recent acquisition in Namibia. Earlier this month, the company secured a new Namibian project, Gaobis, thus adding to the Warmbad project. Botsalano spans approximately 815 km² near the South African border, compared with Gaobis at 350 km² and Warmbad at 271 km².

“The addition of the Botsalano project enhances Pioneer’s expanding uranium portfolio and supports our objective to become a global supplier of minerals essential to the world’s transition to low‑carbon power,” said CEO Michael Beven.

Investor interest in uranium has surged alongside rising nuclear energy commitments made during COP28 in 2023. The World Nuclear Association forecasts a global uranium demand increase of 28% by 2030, followed by a further 51% growth from 2031 to 2040.

Africa, which holds an estimated 20% of the world's reserves, is attracting major attention, particularly in Namibia—Africa’s top producer and the third largest worldwide—and in Botswana, home to the Letlhakane deposit, capable of producing roughly 3 million pounds annually over a decade.

Pioneer plans to begin fieldwork at Botsalano soon, though commercialising the project will take time, involving exploration, resource validation, feasibility studies, and approvals.

This article was initially published in French by Aurel Sèdjro Houenou

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho