Botswana — Brite Star Aviation of Texas has signed an agreement with several Batswana government agencies to build a 1.4-billion pula ($139m) manufacturing and assembly plant in Selebi-Phikwe, the north-eastern mining town devastated by the closure of its copper and nickel mine. Brite Star, a closely held company based in Fredericksburg, plans to arrange funding in Botswana and abroad to design and build the plant, a tourism centre, a hotel, restaurants, a conference centre and a pilot academy and maintenance area. President Imre Katona revealed the plans at a signing ceremony with the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre and the Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana in the capital, Gaborone. The project will cover about 10ha near the existing airport and will be completed within five years, Katona said. It is expected to support 3,000 jobs when fully operational, which will go some way to offset the 4,300 jobs lost when the BCL Mine closed down due to low copper prices. Selebi-Phikw...
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