GARDEN VIEW, South Africa (Mining Weekly) – The ambition of the Botswana government was to establish Botswana as the major diamond center of the world, Botswana Minerals and Energy Minister Charles Tibone told Mining Weekly Online exclusively in Gaborone.

Interviewed at the announcement of the $50-million Diamond Technology Park, Tibone said that being the world's largest diamond producer was not in itself enough and the country's ambition was also to develop many other diamond-industry competencies.

Within that ambition were two important recent developments, one being De Beers' aggregation announcement and Tuesday's Diamond Technology Park announcement.

“The process towards achieving our ambition has begun,” Tibone said.

It would mean that Botswana would have facilities that would not only service the Botswana diamond industry, but also the diamond industry of the world.

Adding value to diamonds within Botswana was an important advance.

With half of the diamond industry involving services, the creation of the Diamond Technical Park would have an economic multiplier effect and would involve Batswanans in services enterprises.

The technology park also had potential to provide work for Botswana's educated population, which had lacked opportunity.

Modelled on similar successful international developments, the concept of the diamond technology park was that of a supply-chain cluster that could house the entire diamond industry in a centralized, finite manner, Diamond Technology Park director Shanee Orbach said on Tuesday. The park would be built in phased developments, creating opportunities for small, medium and micro enterprises.

Diamond Technology Park tenants would be drawn from the world's leading diamond companies, which has superior levels of expertise and solid experience. Other tenants would include companies that serviced the diamond-manufacturing industry such as banks, courier companies, machinery suppliers, information-technology companies, cleaning companies, security firms, a laboratory, restaurants, retail shops and self-catering accommodation.

Orbach announced that the first two founding members were the 520-employee South African Diamond Corporation (Safdico), which had offices in Johannesburg, New York, Geneva, Mauritius and Antwerp, and the Steinmetz group, which covered the entire diamond pipeline from mining to manufacturing and electronic retailing.

Scheduled to start in the early second half of this year, the first factory would be for Safdico, which markets high-end, fancy diamonds and manufactures proprietary brands such as Graff and Hope.

Safdico's creations include the Queen of Africa, a 102 cts intense-yellow cushion diamond, the Rose 5 cts fancy vivid pink, the Hope of Africa, a 115,73 cts intense-yellow cushion and the Safia, a 90,97cts flawless round brilliant.

To contribute to the development of Botswana, Orbach says that Safdico would utilize its expertise to train and employ Batswanans.