GABORONE, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Botswana has issued Australian mining firm A-Cap Resources ACB.AX a mining licence, paving the way for what would be the country's first uranium mine, the company said on Friday.
In a statement, A-Cap said it had been granted a 22-year licence for its Letlhakane uranium project and that construction of the mine was expected to start in 2018.
A-Cap, which has a primary listing on Australia's ASX exchange and a secondary one in Botswana ACB.BT , said it planned to seek admission to the Hong Kong stock exchange to raise capital for the development.
Botswana is estimated to hold slightly more than 1 billion tonnes in uranium reserves and the government has issued prospecting licences in the last decade, although no production has taken place to date. (Writing by Stella Mapenzauswa; editing by David Clarke)