Botswana Joins G7 in Diamond Certification Effort

Botswana is collaborating with the G7 diamond technical team to establish an export certification point for rough diamonds, enhancing traceability and transparency to prevent Russian diamonds from entering G7 markets. This initiative follows the G7's ban on Russian-origin diamonds, which was expanded to include those processed in third countries. A comprehensive gap analysis of Botswana's current certification framework has been conducted, with plans for full operationalization of the certification node next year. President Duma Boko emphasized Botswana's commitment to ethical mining practices, aiming to position the country as a leader in responsible diamond production. The G7 team also intends to engage with other African diamond-producing nations like Namibia and Angola for potential additional certification nodes. This move addresses concerns from African producers about the impact of a single verification system based in Antwerp, which has faced industry pushback.