07 Nov 2022

 Botswana has been congratulated for winning the bid to host the Kimberly Process (KP)secretariat.

 “The hosting of the secretariat has now been confirmed for Botswana. It is excellent news and we see this as recognition of Botswana’s exemplary way of managing its natural resources,” said Ambassador Petra Pereyra in an interview during a recent tour of the Jwaneng Mine.

  Ms Pereyra, who is head of European Union Delegation to Botswana and SADC, said the country succeeded because of its commitment to sound management of natural resources which had had a major impact on its development.

   One of the 100 KP delegates who had the opportunity to appreciate the diamond mining processing stages, she said the tour was part of the negotiations.

“I am glad that the delegation is visiting the mine after successful conclusion of the negotiations.

Through this tour I have to admit that I am truly impressed by the professionalism, the level and the decade of expertise in managing the diamonds in the country,” she said. 

Botswana, Ms Pereyra said, was in many ways a role model and exemplary in managing natural resources and its diamonds.

Commenting, British high commissioner Ms Sian Price noted that the tour included excellent presentations which put the importance of diamonds in Botswana’s development story and future in the right perspective.

She said the quality of presentations demonstrated the level of professionalism, dedication to safety first and commitment to environmental sustainability.

“It is amazing how much the diamond industry has done to help this country. The tour of the mine has really opened our eyes even further,” said Ms Price adding that  the scale of  operations at the mine was overwhelming.

“I want Botswana to carry on the way it does and to continue being a lesson for other countries in the region of how diamonds can be a force for good, but there is still a need for Botswana to think about the future with the belief that diamonds are not forever,” she said.

She said while Debswana’s plans were reassuring, Botswana  needed to think about economic diversification.

“Debswana is doing a fantastic job right now, but it will not be forever and neither will it be enough to sustain the whole country forever,” Ms Price said.

The mine’s general manager, Mr Koolatotse Koolatotse said Debswana’s sponsorship of the KP plenary and other activities testified to the company’s belief that Botswana was ideal location for the KP secretariat. 

Held in Gaborone November 1-4, the meeting brought together administrators, civil society organisations, governments and industry leaders who came up with ways of reducing the flow of blood diamonds used to finance wars around the world.

The Kimberly Process Certification Scheme was established in 2003 to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the mainstream rough diamonds market. ENDS