• The renewal of the Debswana mining licences for 25 years
• The sale of Debswana’s production to DTC International (DTCI) for another five years
• The establishment of Diamond Trading Company Botswana (DTCB), a 50:50 joint venture between the Government of Botswana and De Beers
• In addition to sorting and valuing Debswana’s production, the purpose of DTC Botswana is to make aggregated diamonds available for sale in Botswana for local manufacturing. 

This is supporting Botswana’s economic imperative to drive job creation and value creation from the country’s diamond resources. 

DTC Botswana has a  capacity to sort and value 45 million carats in any one year, making it the largest sorting and valuing facility in the world.

It is envisaged that DTC Botswana will be the primary vehicle for creating a sustainable and profitable downstream industry in Botswana that will:

• Provide maximum long term value from diamonds to the country through world class sorting, valuing, selling and marketing practices in Botswana.
• Maintain and develop employment opportunities in Botswana
• Ensure that new skills and capabilities are created amongst Botswana’s citizens
• Be a potential catalyst for other international businesses to invest in Botswana

The sale of rough diamonds from DTC Botswana, sourced from the DTC’s aggregated mix, is made available locally to 16 cutting and polishing companies that have been licensed by the Ministry of Minerals, Energy & Water Resources to operate in Botswana.

On 14 November 2007 the DTC Botswana client list was announced, formalising supply arrangements for the 16 Botswana-based diamond manufacturing operations with the capacity and experience to build a sustainable local manufacturing industry.

It is anticipated that, through the support of DTC Botswana’s clients, a small but viable market can be developed in Botswana, focusing on local consumers and tourists.

By facilitating the establishment of cutting and polishing in Botswana, the GRB and De Beers are paving the way for additional downstream activities, from diamond jewellery manufacturing through to retailing.

As part of the beneficiation initiative, both parties will continue to facilitate, drive and support the creation of Botswana’s downstream industry. It is hoped that local jewellery manufacturers will make full use of this opportunity.

It is also hoped that the expansion of diamond activities by DTC Botswana will also give rise to growth of secondary business sectors such as banking, security, and IT.

This should contribute to the cultivation of a more advanced diamond industry and provide further opportunities for Botswana’s economy to grow.

Of the US$5.08 billion DTC global sales in 2010, US$482 million was sold through DTCB.   

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