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Luanda Accord: Bold new step for natural diamonds

Done deal: Minerals and Energy minister, Bogolo Kenewendo, joined other diamond industry players for the landmark agreement in Luanda, Angola
Done deal: Minerals and Energy minister, Bogolo Kenewendo, joined other diamond industry players for the landmark agreement in Luanda, Angola

Botswana and several other African diamond producing nations as well as companies and industry bodies, last week signed a landmark agreement to jointly market natural diamonds. Natural Diamond Council CEO, David Kellie, speaks to MBONGENI MGUNI on the historic deal

The natural diamond industry is mounting the largest marketing campaign in more than a decade.

Last year the industry agreed to reignite “category marketing” which involves diamond producers, retail jewellers and countries, linking up to promote natural diamonds. Natural diamond industry leaders acknowledge that over the decades, individual companies instead prioritised marketing their specific brands or products, a focus that left the industry open to synthetics and other non-diamond jewellery.

Editor's Comment
The State apparatus must be sanitised

When the State cannot rely on its own machinery to pursue suspected wrongdoing, repairing that machinery must become a national priority.The establishment of a Special Investigations and Asset Recovery Task Force may help government respond to the immediate challenge. However, Botswana cannot afford to leave the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) and the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) struggling whilst building...

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