ODC is yet to make its mark
Friday, June 30, 2023 | 850 Views |
Centre-piece: The ODC continues to hold the Okavango Blue amidst concerns that the stone may sell for less than it potentially could have
It is important and quite befitting that the shareholders on the government side, i.e. us the populace, get full understanding of its activities, in terms of the management of this resource, towards ensuring that it gives the best returns to the nation.
For 54 years Batswana have had no access to the international diamond markets, including more than ten years after some of us laid our necks on the guillotine for it, and advocated for the reservation of a percentage of diamonds for independent marketing. The result of this intervention was the setting up of ODC.
That sounds like good news. But the report also warns that this may simply be because our digital economy is still young, not because we are safe. As more people shop, bank and pay online, criminals will follow.We Batswana do not need a report to tell us that danger is real. Many of us have heard of or fallen victim to KYC scams. A caller impersonates your bank or mobile money provider. They say they need to “verify” your account. They ask...