Botswana Mining Review Comprehensive Coverage of the Progress and Achievements in the Mining Sector
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The world’s diamond market may be navigating a difficult cycle but Botswana is using the downturn to make a bigger case for the value of its natural diamonds and the economic opportunities that can be built around them.
As President Advocate Duma Boko leads the Botswana delegation at the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the country is taking its diamond story beyond production to New York, placing value addition, market access, industrialisation and the future governance of the global diamond industry firmly on the agenda. Boko has taken Botswana’s natural diamonds campaign to New York as the country marks 60 years of independence, expressing confidence that the current downturn will pass and that demand and sales for natural diamonds will rise again.
The Minister of Minerals and Energy, Bogolo Joy Kenewendo has reinforced that message through engagements with the US diamond industry and international partners, promoting a broader vision for the country’s diamond economy. The country is highlighting its achievement of zero-rated tariffs for diamonds entering the US market, alongside efforts to deepen diamond differentiation, beneficiation and value addition.
The 60 Jewels showcase, held as Botswana celebrates six decades of independence, is being used to connect the country’s diamond heritage with its ambitions for the industry’s next phase. Kenewendo has stressed that the value generated by Botswana’s diamonds should reach further into the domestic economy, creating opportunities for Batswana across jewellery, gemology, trading, technology and other parts of the diamond value chain.
That ambition also stretches beyond diamonds. Speaking at the Unstoppable Africa 2026 dialogue in New York, Kenewendo called for Africa to move beyond resource extraction and use energy, critical minerals and technology as foundations for industrial development. She outlined Botswana’s priorities around renewable energy expansion, mineral beneficiation, industrial value chains, technological innovation and regional energy integration.
The Minister said Africa’s energy transition must be built around reliability, affordability, sustainability and inclusivity, while calling for partnerships that connect capital, technology, skills, infrastructure and markets. Botswana is also seeking to strengthen its influence over the institutions underpinning the global diamond trade. As the country prepares to assume the 2028 Chairmanship of the Kimberley Process, it is seeking support from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and international partners to strengthen the Kimberley Process Secretariat.
The proposed support includes technical assistance, skills development and resource mobilisation aimed at building a stronger and better-resourced Secretariat and supporting a more resilient and sustainable diamond industry. The New York engagements point to a value proposition that reaches beyond the sale of rough diamonds. Botswana is positioning its mineral wealth as a platform for beneficiation, industrial development, skills, technology and stronger participation in the institutions shaping global commodity markets.
