07 Nov 2017

Government, through its successful partnership with De Beers, has ensured a stable and supportive environment for the diamond industry, President Lt Gen. Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama, has said. 

Delivering his keynote remarks at this year's De Beers Diamond Conference held on November 7, President Khama said through this partnership, De Beers provided capital, technology and effective route to market. 

Additionally, he said De Beers had also appreciated Botswana’s economic diversification aspirations, as showcased by promotion of the country’s offering at the 2017 International Tourism Bourse, which was hosted in Berlin.

Botswana and De Beers’ collaboration, he said, was worth celebrating as it continued to create an impact by maximising the value of the country’s every diamond.

“Both partners have an aligned vision, which has already delivered significant success,” he said. 

To maximise the potential of what both parties shared, he said there was need to harness the full strength of cooperation to help enhance future prospects. 

The relocation of De Beers Sales Function to Botswana, President Khama said ‘did not only create jobs and attract foreign investment, but strategically positioned our country as an emerging centre of gravity for the diamond industry’.

For this reason, President Khama said it was important to celebrate the pertnership as it helped government in driving the country’s development agenda. 

“Our partnership spans over decades and I hope that it will continue to strengthen with time for mutual benefit,” he added. 

However, while diamonds have been the main driver of Botswana’s economy for several decades, he said economic diversification was a clear necessity towards leading sustainable development. 

Therefore, to explore and interrogate opportunities that accelerate sustainable shared values and implementation of outlined developmental strategies, President Khama said government needed to continue engaging its stakeholders and partners. 

Further,  through collaborative efforts and investments of this nature, he said government aimed to have delivered a material improvement in the opportunities for the domestic commercial landscape by 2036. 

The conference themed: Building a Sustainable Business Model to Accelerate the Pace of Shared Value Creation in the Diamond Industry, he said accorded first steps towards achieving shared values and realisation of thematic pillars outlined by Vision 2036 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

The forum attracted diverse representation of experts, scholars and thought leaders from all over the world to debate proposed implementation strategies to benefit the diamond industry, its stakeholders and communities it impacts. ENDS