Venaani pitches plant to water Botswana’s future

Can the Atlantic Ocean solve Southern Africa’s water woes? Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader McHenry Venaani believes it can.He recently called for Namibia and Botswana to collaborate on a major desalination project along the Namibian coastline - a move he says would unlock agricultural potential and create much-needed jobs across both water-scarce nations.Venaani made the remarks over the weekend while delivering the opening address at the Alliance for Progressives’ congress, held in Serowe, Botswana.“I have a dream, and I saw this dream echoed by the President a few days ago. He was in Lesotho, looking for water. Why can’t we tap into the Atlantic Ocean and bring water to Botswana? For jobs to be created, agricultural value chains must be developed. And for us to do that and generate the necessary employment, we must provide opportunities for young people,” Venaani said, referring to Botswana President Duma Boko’s recent visit to the Lesotho Highlands project, which supplies water to Lesotho and South Africa’s Gauteng Province.Venaani said it was the responsibility of political leaders to build a new Africa.“As Africans, we must build a new Botswana. Your leaders have crafted an agenda and a vision that you, the people of Botswana, must carry forward. But we cannot advance this agenda without cross-pollination, without walking together,” he said.Presidential supportBotswana’s former president, Mokgweetsi Masisi, has previously spoken in favour of shared water infrastructure between the two nations.“We are encouraged by the prospects presented by this project because we need water. However, our ministers and technocrats must determine what is best for us, in line with our governance procedures,” Masisi said at the time.Although discussions have taken place between the two countries for several years, no specific details have been released regarding a funding model, plant specifications, or the infrastructure required to transport and utilise the water.Meanwhile, the Namibian government, via its bulk water utility NamWater, is set to construct a desalination plant in partnership with China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). This project will primarily supply the water-hungry mining sector at the coast, complementing the existing supply from Orano Resources’ Erongo Desalination Plant. The joint venture is unrelated to Venaani’s proposed regional project.Namibia currently relies on groundwater and river systems. The central coastal area consumes around 20 million cubic metres of desalinated water, according to the sixth National Development Plan (NDP6), launched earlier this week.The ambitious plan envisions the addition of three new desalination plants by 2030.

Venaani pitches plant to water Botswana’s future

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Republikein 2026-03-19

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Venaani pitches plant to water Botswana’s future

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