Africa-Press – Botswana. The president of the Botswana Mine Workers Union is warning that US tariffs could make matters even worse for a country that has already seen diamond revenues plummet.
Joseph Tsimako, representing 10,000 mine workers, fears his members could be laid off or forced to take unpaid leave as a result of the downturn.
“Diamonds built our country,” he is quoted as saying, in an Associated Press report.
“Now, as the world changes, we must find a way to make sure they don’t destroy the lives of the people who helped build it.”
Diamonds accounted for around roughly 80 per cent of Botswana’s exports and a third of its GDP until lab growns decimated demand for natural diamonds.
Botswana’s revenue from diamond exports fell by almost half in 2024 and in the first quarter of 2025, Debswana, the government’s 50/50 joint venture with De Beers, reported sales of $560.9m, down 48 per cent year-on-year.
At the end of July, the US imposed a 15 per cent tariff on all imports from Botswana, as part of a global program to address trade imbalances.
For More News And Analysis About Botswana Follow Africa-Press
