Swedish mining equipment manufacturer Epiroc has secured an order worth approximately SEK610 million (US$64 million) from MMG Limited for underground mining equipment to support the expansion of the Khoemacau Copper Mine in north-western Botswana.
The order, booked in the third quarter of 2026, comprises face drilling rigs, production drilling rigs, cable bolting rigs, underground loaders and mine trucks. Epiroc will also provide remote-control technology for the loaders, alongside spare parts, drilling tools and on-site technical support.
Deliveries are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026 and continue through the second quarter of 2028.
Khoemacau is an underground copper and silver mine located within the Kalahari Copper Belt, a mineral-rich geological region extending across parts of Botswana and Namibia. The operation has become increasingly important to Botswana’s efforts to diversify its mining industry and reduce its historical reliance on diamonds.
The equipment supplied by Epiroc includes the Boomer M20 S face drilling rig, Simba E70 S in-the-hole production drilling rig, Cabletec M10 S cable bolting rig, Scooptram ST18 S loader and Minetruck MT65 S. The machines form part of Epiroc’s Smart series and are designed to accommodate automation and remote-control technologies.
The adoption of such technology reflects wider changes taking place across the global mining industry. Underground operations are increasingly using automation and remote systems to improve productivity, equipment utilisation and safety, particularly where workers would otherwise be exposed to difficult or hazardous operating environments.
For Botswana, however, the technological transition also creates an important skills-development question. More sophisticated equipment requires technicians and operators capable of working across mechanical, electrical, digital and data-driven systems. The value of the investment therefore extends beyond the machinery itself to the capacity of local institutions and workers to participate in an increasingly technologically advanced mining industry.
MMG and Botswana’s Ministry of Higher Education are supporting the development of a Centre of Mining Excellence at Maun Technical College. The initiative is intended to strengthen training in mechanised and underground mining and contribute to the development of Botswana’s future mining workforce.
The development of local skills is particularly relevant as MMG proceeds with a major expansion of Khoemacau. The company acquired the mine in 2024 and has since positioned it as a significant component of its copper growth strategy.
MMG’s expansion programme is designed to increase annual copper production capacity to approximately 130,000 tonnes of copper in concentrate by 2028. The project includes a new 4.5-million-tonne-per-year processing plant and development work at additional deposits, including Zone 5 North, Mango and Zeta North-East.
MMG estimates the overall expansion at approximately US$936 million, including expenditure incurred before 2026.
The investment comes as copper assumes greater strategic importance because of its role in electricity networks, renewable-energy infrastructure, telecommunications, construction and industrial manufacturing. This presents opportunities for African mineral producers, but also reinforces longstanding questions about how resource wealth can contribute to broader industrial development.
For Botswana, the challenge is therefore not simply to increase copper output. A larger mining operation can have a wider economic impact if it supports local procurement, technical training, supplier development, employment and the emergence of businesses capable of servicing the mining industry.
The structure of the Khoemacau expansion also reflects the increasingly international nature of African mining. Epiroc said MMG placed the equipment order together with mining contractors China Huaye and 23MCC, subsidiaries of China Minmetals Corporation, MMG’s major shareholder. MMG is listed in Hong Kong, while Epiroc is headquartered in Sweden.
Such cross-border participation brings capital, equipment and specialist expertise into African mining operations. At the same time, the developmental value of these investments depends partly on the extent to which host economies can build domestic capabilities alongside international participation.
MMG says Khoemacau currently employs more than 2,200 employees and contractors, approximately 90 per cent of whom are Botswana citizens. During the expansion, the workforce is expected to exceed 4,000 employees and contractors before settling at approximately 3,200 once the expanded operation reaches production.
The Epiroc order is consequently more than an equipment transaction. It forms part of a broader investment programme that could influence Botswana’s copper production, employment base, technical capabilities and mining-services sector.
For Botswana, the longer-term measure of success will be whether the expansion contributes to a stronger domestic mining ecosystem — one in which international investment and technology are accompanied by local skills, enterprise development and greater participation by Botswana’s workforce and businesses in the value generated from the country’s mineral resources.
