07 Jul 2021

President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi has hailed Lucara  Botswana for discovering a 1 174.76 carat diamond to be valued in three weeks time. 

Speaking during the diamond’s unveiling in Gaborone yesterday, Dr Masisi said Botswana did not only produce the best gems but was also attracting the world’s  best dealers/partners in the diamond industry. 

Dr Masisi was reacting to Lucara Botswana managing director Ms Naseem Lahri’s announcement that the  company had struck a diamond selling deal with HB Antwerp through which the former would buy all diamond finds over 10 carats.

Ms Lahri also revealed that the company was looking into no longer just selling rough diamonds but venturing into collecting top colour polished diamonds ready for the market. 

President Masisi hailed the Lucara Botswana and HB Antwerp partnership saying it would benefit the country as a whole. 

He said HB Antwerp had pledged to provide learning opportunities for young Batswana on the diamond value chain. 

Dr Masisi said he in turn had pledged to avail 10 most talented, and motivated Botswana International University of Science and Technology students to enroll for six months training with the best in the diamond space. 

He also praised Lucara Botswana’s decision to not only deal in rough diamond but to participate in polishing as well saying the move would provide job opportunities for Batswana.

The President stated that government aimed to  add value to every natural resource Botswana had through knowledge and deriving best returns.

He urged young people to work hard to participate in documentation and marketing of diamonds. 

For her part, Ms Lahri said the new discovery, the third 1 000-plus carat find to emerge from Karowe Mine in recent years, measured 77 by 55 by 33 millimeters.

 Ms Lahri however said unlike the 1 758 carat Sewelô found in 2019, the latest find was not considered a 100 per cent gem.

 It was a “clivage gem of variable quality with significant domains of high-quality white gem material”, she explained.

She said in addition to Sewelô, in 2015 the mine produced the 1 109 carat Lesedi la Rona, considered the second largest piece of gem-quality rough ever discovered. 

She attributed Lucara Botswana’s achievements to use of advanced technology the company had invested in.

The company also availed adequate resources to aid  production, she said. 

Ms Lahri said the success was also attributable to the tranquil environment presented by Botswana’s stable democracy. BOPA