Kenewendo sees early success in diamond fightback
Mbongeni Mguni | Monday May 25, 2026 06:00
Botswana is amongst the leading partners in the Luanda Accord, a platform formed last year with several other African diamond-producing nations as well as companies and industry bodies, to jointly market natural diamonds.
The joint industry-wide campaign includes funding for marketing as well as a coordinated narrative highlighting transparency, traceability, the developmental good of diamonds and their enduring luxury positioning.
The country this week was officially admitted into the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB), the official organisation of the international diamond trading sector, which promotes the principles of trust, transparency and integrity in the industry. Angola, another diamond producer, was also admitted.
Speaking at WFDB’s first summit held in Botswana, Kenewendo said the industry’s joint efforts in the last two years were beginning to bear fruit.
“What we have wanted to see is trust being restored in the industry, confidence in the industry, and innovation in the industry and a strengthened partnership because we cannot resuscitate or lead the industry in silos,” she said in a fireside chat during the summit.
“In the next two to three years, as we are starting to see now, there is a clear separation between what a diamond is and what a synthetic is, and consumers are also starting to appreciate that separation. “That’s the reason why somebody would want a natural diamond, the rarity of it, the emotional connection to it, the impact and development story that's attached, so that it really starts to fetch a premium.”
Kenewendo said that in the next two to three years, Botswana and its partners were hoping to see a much more strengthened partnership in the industry.
“We are seeing it from different calls across the sector, and we work a lot closely with Angola and Namibia as producing countries. “We have had calls with Sierra Leone about how we can help them strengthen issues around responsible mining and ethical sourcing. “We believe that in the downstream, we're starting to see a lot more collaboration with maisons and others,” she said.
Analysts have pointed out that Botswana’s positioning in the industry, with a decades-long record of strong mining governance and developmental impact, is key to leading the industry to a rebound against synthetics.
President Duma Boko, in various engagements such as the JCK Show in Las Vegas last year, committed the country to leading the industry’s unified voice for diamonds.
Speaking at the summit, Kenewendo said the time had come to ask what Botswana can do for diamonds, rather than what diamonds had done for Botswana.
“For many years, Botswana participated primarily as a producer within the global diamond value chain,” she said. “Today, Botswana is taking deliberate steps to participate more actively within the institutional and market architecture that shapes global diamond trade itself.”
WFDP president Yoram Dvash said bringing together governments, producers, traders, and industry leaders in Botswana reflects the increasing importance of alignment across the natural diamond sector at a time of significant change for the industry.
“The inclusion of Botswana and Angola further strengthens the federation’s global representation and reinforces our shared commitment to transparency, responsibility, and the long-term future of natural diamonds,” he said.