Though agriculture still remains to be the primary source of livelihood among people living in Botswana, it’s the diamond industry that allows the government to provide the necessary services for their people. In fact, 33 percent of their GDP (Gross Domestic Product) comes from their trade of diamonds. As the Botswanian president Festus Mogae puts it, each purchase of a diamond from their country means food for the families, a better health care system, better infrastructures even in remote communities, and even free education for the children.
Botswana is one of the biggest sources of quality diamonds. Thus, almost 25 percent of Botswanian workers are under various diamond mining organizations. However, there’s a good possibility that they may get hurt because of the changes happening in the diamond industry. One of these is the issue of conflict diamonds. Every campaign that human rights organizations have against the diamond industry can potentially hurt any country that is dependent on these gemstones, including Botswana. There’s also the slowdown of global economy, which started way back in 2001. If these problems continue, and the country doesn’t look for any way to diversify their economy or improve the ethical values associated with their diamonds, they won’t be able to maintain the kind of growth they’re currently experiencing right now.
One step that Botswana is taking to ensure that they are able to maintain their place in the diamond industry is developing polishing and cutting plants so they can further increase their share in the diamond business.
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