Africa-Press – Botswana. Apart from employment creation and skills transfer, AuroStar Diamond Company has a vision to lay a foundation for more Batswana to be part of the diamond value chain development, an investment President Advocate Duma Boko says he is grateful for.
“Because we did not have these skills in the past, we were forced to sell all our diamonds in the rough and have them processed, cut and polished outside the country. We did not train you early enough and we did not train in good numbers,” said President Boko.
The President made the remarks when addressing the employees of AuroStar following a tour of the company factory, Friday in Gaborone. He said it was worth apologising that the country had been mining diamonds for a very long time but failed back then, to equip Batswana with skills on value chain.
President Boko said the country now had little excuse to continue selling diamonds in the rough outside borders with companies such as AuroStar training Batswana on the entire value chain from extraction of the diamond in the rough, to cutting and polishing.
“We must deliberately proceed in the direction of ensuring that no diamond leaves this country uncut, unpolished so that the process of beneficiation generates more diamonds like yourselves, who are involved in cutting and polishing,” said President Boko.
He said since it was possible to explore the entire value chain of a diamond in the country, it would equally be possible with other minerals and sell finished products, generate more jobs, put more money into the pockets of the locals, empower their families and by so doing grow the economy. President Boko was upbeat that within the next three years, Botswana would experience change and therefore encouraged the business sector and Batswana to be part of that transformation.
He said government would make every effort to support businesses to attain the basic level of the living wage so that employees were rewarded appropriately, adding that government was committed to ensure that with time, no government employee, earned less than P4 000. President Boko assured the company support, to enable its growth, expansion and good performance.
AuroStar Diamond director, Mr Arjav Mehta said the company would invest P75 million towards development of a world-class diamond polishing factory.
“This project will not only enable us to process high-value stones in the country, but will employ over 1 000 Botswana, with focus on skills transfer and empowerment of future diamond generations to come,” said Mr Mehta.
He explained that the plan was not only in diamond polishing, but also grading and jewelry manufacturing here in Botswana. Mr Mehta said the Made in Botswana stamp must get global recognition and be a benchmark for provenance and traceability. He said polished diamonds customers throughout the world, global luxury brands must appreciate the Made in Botswana diamond and source directly in the country.
“We believe that Botswana’s natural diamonds deserve a global platform. We aim to partner with the government to market these precious stones in strategic hubs including the USA, Europe, China, India and Middle East, ensuring Botswana’s diamonds attract premium value while telling the story of local beneficiation and empowerment,” he said.
“Today, we are not just cutting and polishing stones. We are transforming lives, turning polishers into entrepreneurs and laying the foundation for a thriving ecosystem of citizen-led diamond empowerment,” said Mr Mehta and acknowledged that diamonds were part of a dream and vision to expand Botswana and therefore the company was strategically committed and aligned be a part of the economic transformation of the country.
Mr Mehta appreciated that Botswana had positively contributed to the growth of the company. He said the company had established a successful model of beneficiation that started at grassroots training and placed skills transfer above all. Creating a diamond hub in Botswana Mr Mehta said would not only increase employment but would be an example of stability, progress and growth as well as nurture entrepreneurship in Botswana, since the company envisioned more Batswana being part of different value chain in diamonds.
Mr Mehta said true progress of the diamond sector was for Botswana to benefit, promoting the, Made in Botswana brand in diamonds, showcasing to the world how diamonds were adding value to communities and making future Botswana entrepreneurs.
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