Botswana Positions Diamonds as Global Trust Anchor

At the World Federation of Diamond Bourses summit held at Orapa House on Monday, Botswana’s Minister of Minerals and Energy, Bogolo Kenewendo, positioned Botswana as a central player in the global diamond industry, highlighting six decades of development tied to diamond resources and a push to expand its role beyond production into trade and value addition. She said Botswana marks its “diamond jubilee of independence and diamond leadership,” noting: “60 years of transformation from what was known as the basket case of the world to an upper middle-income country,” and “60 years of leadership from a barren land to a leading mining jurisdiction in the world.” Kenewendo said Botswana’s ambition extends beyond mining, stating that the country aims to “bring the diamond industry home” and deepen participation in global value chains.

She said diamonds should not only leave Botswana in rough form but “leave Botswana as stories, as brands, as craftsmanship, as technology, as an investment, as luxury and as jobs created at home.” She announced Botswana’s successful admission into the World Federation of Diamond Bourses framework through the Botswana Mercantile Exchange and the Botswana Diamond Hub. She emphasized provenance and transparency, saying Botswana’s diamonds are “responsibly sourced, ethically mined and conflict free,” and described them as “development diamonds.” She said trust is earned through governance and partnerships, including the Kimberley Process certification scheme, the Gemological Institute of America, and blockchain traceability via Tracr.