The health of a country's economy affects the majority of its citizens in everyday life — and the growth of this economy relies on the performance of certain key industries such as agriculture and farming, retail, mining, politics, foreign investment, and so on.

Botswana, a main stakeholder in the mining industry, recently hosted the Electra Mining Botswana show from 3—5 September in its capital. This well-managed event caught attention from many leaders in the mining industry — and its exhibitors, with their interactive product displays, encouraged informal knowledge-exchange and networking.

A notable company at this event has had the mining industry particularly interested — this company, Voltex, a leader in its field of electrical product distribution, showcased technologically-advanced products such as power-saving devices, generators and transformers, circuit breakers and distribution boards.

“We are aware of the need for improvement in the mining industry,” says Hugh Ward, Group Commercial Manager of the Voltex group. “Our advanced reticulation management systems, which comprise conduit, racking and strut, are systems essential to establishing a fully-efficient operation.”

It cannot be refuted that since the discovery of diamonds in Botswana in the mid-1960s, the annual Gross Domestic Product has remained confidently stable and constantly rising by seven per cent annually — what this means for the economy, and the population at large, is more spending power and strong infrastructure growth through schemes such as road building, education and health care.

Since diamonds account for 76% of Botswana's export revenue and 45% of government revenue, which total 33% of GDP, the mining industry plays a vital role in the country's daily services and future developments, according to the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development.

Without correct mining processes and procedures, Botswana would lose approximately $3 billion in revenue per year — this loss would impact the country dramatically and negatively, as calculated by the OECD.

In addition, President Mogae, in 2006, was quoted in praise of the mining industry, saying, “For our people, every diamond purchase represents food on the table; better living conditions; better healthcare; safe drinking water; more roads to connect our remote communities and much more.” The Electra Mining show has brought about greater awareness of new techonologies the mining industry in Botswana and abroad — and it is in thanks to the technological advancement of certain companies such as Voltex distributing lighting, cable and other power-efficient products throughout Botswana, thereby contributing to the growth and prosperity of the nation, through its mining sector.

For more information about electrical solutions and innovative products for mining, construction and maintenance, industrial and utility applications, contact Voltex on +27 (0) 11 879 2000 or email info@voltex.co.za