Key Minerals in Africa: U.S. Scours the Globe for Resources; Botswana’s Mining Firm Leverages AI to Accelerate Rare Earth Exploration
¬ Tsodilo partners with the U.S.-based Battelle Memorial Institute to deploy artificial intelligence in the Gcwihaba project
¬ The model will use existing data to prioritize high-probability drilling targets
¬ This move reflects a broader shift in Botswana’s mining sector toward AI-driven mineral exploration
As smaller mining companies like Tsodilo Resources begin applying artificial intelligence to rare earth exploration, the use of AI in Botswana’s mining industry is growing.
The company announced on March 29 a collaboration with the U.S.-based Battelle Memorial Institute to integrate AI into its Gcwihaba rare earth project. This initiative aligns with a wider trend in Botswana, where mining firms are increasingly turning to AI to identify strategic minerals.
Companies such as Botswana Diamonds (UK) and Aterian have already introduced similar tools in their exploration efforts for copper, cobalt, nickel, and zinc. Tsodilo now aims to bring the Gcwihaba project into this wave of transformation.
Under the agreement, the company will develop a physics-based predictive AI model trained on existing exploration data. The tool is designed to identify and rank areas within the project site with the highest likelihood of rare earth mineralization.
Once deployed, the model will continuously improve as new drilling results are added, thereby enhancing its accuracy. Tsodilo states that this approach helps reduce exploration risk while accelerating discovery timelines.
James Bruchs, Chairman of Tsodilo Resources, said: "Across the mining industry, artificial intelligence is being increasingly adopted to deliver objective, data-driven target localization—integrating traditional datasets with newly acquired ones (including drilling, geophysical, and geochemical data) within a unified framework and incorporating mineral system models to enable more accurate classification, prioritization, and prediction of high-probability drilling targets, all while reducing exploration risk."
Tsodilo is seeking to discover its first deposit in the Gcwihaba region, and this initiative comes amid an ambitious plan. The company has announced a drilling program of up to 15,000 meters this year, targeting not only rare earth elements but also copper, cobalt, nickel, and vanadium.
How significantly AI will improve exploration outcomes in the short term remains to be seen. While deployments in Botswana have yet to yield major discoveries, successful cases exist elsewhere across Africa.
One of the most frequently cited examples is KoBold Metals’ discovery of the Mingomba copper deposit in Zambia, where AI played a central role in shaping the exploration strategy.
Source: ecofinagency
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1861147622436935/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any organization.