Is Botswana Getting A Raw Deal From De Beers Diamonds - The World News !!exclusive!! Jun 2026

"The balance has shifted," says Thabo Mokoena, an economist at the University of Botswana. "De Beers still controls the sightholder list—the exclusive buyers. Botswana provides the rocks, but London decides who buys them. In an era where diamond prices are crashing, that control means everything."

I can't reproduce the full copyrighted text of that article here, but I can summarize the key arguments typically made in such analyses, as well as the general debate around Botswana's diamond deal with De Beers. "The balance has shifted," says Thabo Mokoena, an

Is Botswana Getting a Raw Deal From De Beers Diamonds? The decades-long partnership between the Republic of Botswana and De Beers is often cited as the gold standard for public-private cooperation. However, as the global diamond market undergoes a seismic shift, many are asking if the "miracle of African development" is being short-changed. From Gaborone to the boardroom in London, the debate over whether Botswana is getting a raw deal has reached a fever pitch. The Foundation of a Diamond Giant In an era where diamond prices are crashing,

Diamonds normally contribute around one-third of Botswana's national revenues and three-quarters of its foreign exchange receipts. However, as the global diamond market undergoes a