Botswana is one of the most important diamond producers in the world by value. Its mines sit in kimberlite pipes buried under the sands of the Kalahari, and they were found only after independence in 1966. Within a few decades diamonds turned one of the poorest countries in Africa into a middle-income state. Most production comes from mines run by Debswana, a 50-50 partnership between the government and De Beers.
Finding diamonds under the Kalahari
Much of Botswana is covered by Kalahari sand, which hides the bedrock and anything in it. Prospectors could not simply look for outcrops. Instead, De Beers geologists sampled soils and termite mounds for indicator minerals such as garnet and ilmenite that weather out of kimberlite and get carried to the surface. They followed those trails back to their sources over years of work in the 1950s and 1960s. The methods are described on the page on diamond geology.
The search paid off in 1967, a year after independence, with the discovery of the Orapa pipe. That find set the pattern for everything that followed.
Orapa
Orapa lies in central Botswana on the edge of the Makgadikgadi salt pans. The kimberlite is one of the largest pipes ever found at surface. Mining began in 1971 from an open pit, and a company town grew up around the mine. Orapa produces large volumes of diamonds, with a broad mix of gem and industrial qualities. Its opening gave the young government its first big source of revenue.
Letlhakane and Damtshaa
Letlhakane, a short distance southeast of Orapa, opened in 1977. Its pipes are much smaller than Orapa, but the stones were of higher average quality. After the open pit was worked out, the operation shifted to retreating old tailings, which modern plants can reprocess to recover diamonds that earlier equipment missed.
Damtshaa, a group of small pipes near Orapa, came into production in 2003. Orapa, Letlhakane and Damtshaa were managed together as one operating unit, and the smaller mines have been opened and paused in response to market conditions.
Jwaneng
Jwaneng, in the south of the country, west of the capital Gaborone, was found in 1972 beneath tens of meters of Kalahari sand. It began production in 1982. Jwaneng is frequently described as the richest diamond mine in the world by value, because it combines high ore grades with a good share of gem-quality stones.
The mine is a huge open pit that has been deepened and widened in a series of expansions, each requiring the removal of large amounts of waste rock to reach deeper ore. Jwaneng's ore is processed on site with crushing, dense media separation and X-ray recovery, steps explained on the page about how diamonds are mined.
Karowe and very large diamonds
Karowe, near the town of Letlhakane, is owned by the Canadian-listed Lucara Diamond Corp. and is one of the few large Botswana mines outside Debswana. It opened in 2012 and quickly became known for exceptionally large Type IIa stones. Lucara installed X-ray transmission sorting equipment designed to recover big diamonds whole before the crushing circuit could break them.
Karowe's record speaks for itself:
- Lesedi La Rona, about 1,109 carats, found in 2015
- Sewelo, about 1,758 carats, found in 2019, a dark stone coated in a carbon-rich skin
- A stone of about 2,492 carats found in 2024, the largest diamond recovered since the Cullinan in 1905
The Cullinan was found at the Premier mine in South Africa and weighed about 3,106 carats as rough. The diamond carat weight page explains how carats are measured, and Type IIa diamonds are described in diamond chemistry and formation.
The Debswana partnership
De Beers formed a local subsidiary to develop Orapa in 1969. In 1975 the government negotiated an equal share, and the company, later renamed Debswana, has been owned 50-50 by the state and De Beers ever since. The government also became a shareholder in De Beers itself through a later restructuring.
The arrangement has been renegotiated several times. A 2011 agreement brought De Beers' rough sorting and sightholder sales from London to Gaborone, a move completed in 2013. The government also set up its own sales company, Okavango Diamond Company, which sells a share of Debswana's output independently through auctions. Botswana required that some rough be cut locally, and several cutting and polishing firms opened factories in the country. These changes fit into the broader shift in rough sales covered in the history of the diamond trade and the diamond pipeline.
Diamonds and the national economy
At independence in 1966 Botswana had little paved road and a small, cattle-based economy. Diamond revenue paid for roads, schools, clinics and water supply in the decades that followed. Economists often cite Botswana as a country that avoided the worst problems of mineral wealth, pointing to stable government, a strong civil service and a habit of saving and investing revenue. Diamonds have long supplied a large share of government income and most export earnings.
That reliance also brings risk. When rough prices fall, government budgets and the wider economy feel it quickly, and Botswana has worked for years to build other industries such as tourism and finance. Its diamonds have never been linked to conflict, and the country has been an active participant in the Kimberley Process; see conflict diamonds for background.
Frequently asked questions
What is the richest diamond mine in Botswana?
Jwaneng is generally considered the richest, and it is often described as the richest diamond mine in the world by value. It has operated since 1982.
What is the largest diamond found in Botswana?
A diamond of about 2,492 carats recovered at the Karowe mine in 2024 is the largest. It is the biggest diamond found since the 3,106-carat Cullinan in 1905.
Who owns Botswana's diamond mines?
Most production comes from Debswana, owned equally by the Botswana government and De Beers. Karowe is owned separately by Lucara Diamond Corp.
When were diamonds discovered in Botswana?
The first major find was the Orapa kimberlite pipe in 1967, a year after independence. Mining at Orapa began in 1971.