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"In terms of countries, Botswana was the fifth most preferred mining address in the world, behind Greenland, Ireland, Sweden and Finland, in order of their rankings in the Survey.

The Survey’s respondents rank the jurisdictions in terms of their perceptions of performance across several key factors such as government policies, taxation, environment regulations, infrastructure and political stability.

According to this year’s survey, Botswana ranked top in the world for its current mineral potential, tax regime, predictable environmental regulations and the low level of inconsistencies or duplication in regulations.

The country was also highly ranked in terms of corruption, low trade barriers, political stability and low national security risks, as well as fair legal processes, low labour militancy and consistent mining policies.

Respondents praised Botswana and its government, urging other African states to emulate its example. “Botswana encourages and assists project development; it is the jurisdiction other African countries should strive to copy,” said one respondent, a president of an exploration company.

Another survey respondent, the managing director of an exploration company, was quoted as saying “The Botswana government wishes to improve the lifestyle of its people by optimising its mineral wealth; this is reflected in the policy environment.”
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