President Duma Boko has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to reducing trade barriers within the diamond industry during a tour of the Aurostar Diamond Factory in Gaborone recently.
Speaking during the visit, President Boko highlighted Botswana’s historical dependence on foreign expertise for diamond processing. He emphasised the government’s resolve to strengthen local capacity in order to maximise the value of its diamond exports.
“We didn’t have a certain crop of workers that possessed the necessary skills in processing and polishing. As a result, we were compelled to export our diamonds in rough form to be processed abroad. Now that we have you, we have very little excuse to continue this practice,” he said.
President Boko also outlined plans to develop a comprehensive value chain within the diamond sector. This includes equipping local workers with the full range of skills required—from extraction to cutting and polishing—in order to retain more value within the country.
“What we failed to do in the past was to develop these essential skills. Now that we have them, we must harness them to complete the entire value chain locally,” he added.
Beyond the diamond industry, the President stressed the importance of enhancing ease of doing business across complementary sectors. He noted that improvements in logistics and supportive infrastructure will be critical to sustaining growth and competitiveness in the mining sector.
