25 Nov 2024

President Advocate Duma Boko has arrived in Antwerp, Belgium, today at the invitation of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) for a two-day working visit.

While in Antwerp, the President will officiate at the third edition of the international 2024 FACETS conference held under the theme: Navigating a New Era, which starts today and ends tomorrow.

FACETS is a diamond industry conference organised by the ADWC and it gathers top executives from the diamond industry – from mines to retailers.

Antwerp’s diamond community, especially sightholders, have a long standing association with Botswana. As such,  the partnership between Botswana and ADWC has been extended through the creation of the Kimberly Process where the two are co-founders.

AWDC serves as a trade hub for diamonds in the world and is acclaimed as the promoter of the entire diamond industry, recognised internationally as the point of contact in the diamond space.

Representatives from producer countries among them Botswana, South Africa, Namibia and Angola, which recently announced encouraging prospects from their diamonds exploration, will also attend including those from Belgium and the European Union.

While in Belgium, President Boko is expected to engage in several bilateral meetings.

He will tour the AWDC offices and Diamond District as well as visit the Diamcad Polisher and Rosy Blue Sightholder.

Advocate Boko will also hold meetings in Brussels with the Secretary-General of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, Mr Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti and also meet with Belgium Prime Minister, Mr Alexander de Croo and European Union Council president, Mr Charles Michel.

He will also give a keynote address at the Botswana Business Forum, which will explore business opportunities, strengthen partnerships and promote investments in Botswana.

The President’s visit to Belgium comes at a time when government of Botswana and De Beers are expected to finalise a diamond sales agreement.

In a recent courtesy call on President Boko, De Beers chief executive officer, Al Cook hailed their engagement as a positive spirit of renewal.

Addressing a kgotla meeting in Mahalapye over the weekend, President Boko told residents that he would engage with key stakeholders and encourage them to start buying Botswana diamonds again.

Last year AWDC co-hosted with Botswana the second FACETS international diamond conference in Gaborone, which gathered high level politicians and some diamond industry players and experts across the globe.

The conference successfully discussed the state of the diamond industry and current challenges and opportunities, zooming in on how diamonds can be agents of change in diamond-producing countries on the African continent.

During the conference, Botswana amplified its ambitions to have entrepreneurs more actively involved in the distribution of rough allocation.

The meeting also emphasised the importance of diamonds traceability and that the natural diamond industry often failed to tell the story on a diamond’s origin and its positive impact on communities, such as the case of Botswana.

The President is accompanied by the First Lady Kaone, International Relations Minister, Dr Phenyo Butale, Minister of Minerals and Energy, Ms Bogolo Kenewendo and senior government officials. ENDS