| Company type | Limited |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mining |
| Predecessor | De Beers Botswana Mining Company |
| Founded | June 23, 1969; 55 years ago (1969-06-23) |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Bruce Cleaver Chairman Andrew Maatla Motsomi Managing Director[1] |
| Products | Diamonds Coal |
| Owner | Government of Botswana (50%) andDe Beers (50%) |
Number of employees | 6,400 (2020)[2] |
| Website | debswana.com |
Debswana Diamond Company Limited, or simplyDebswana, is amining company located inBotswana, and is the world's leading producer ofdiamonds by value.[3] Debswana operates fourdiamond mines in the eastern and central parts of Botswana, as well as acoal mine.[3] Debswana is ajoint venture between the government of Botswana and theSouth African diamond companyDe Beers; each party owns 50 percent of the company.[3]
Themines Debswana owns and operates are:
Debswana was formed as the De Beers Botswana Mining Company on the 23rd of June 1968,[4] after De Beersgeologists identified diamond-bearing deposits at Orapa in the 1960s. Over the next five years, the government of Botswana increased its ownership stake from an original 15 percent to 50 percent. On March 25, 1992, the name of the company was changed toDebswana Diamond Company (Proprietary) Limited. The company’s primary objective is diamond mining and associated processes. Debswana operates the Orapa, Letlhakane, Jwaneng and Damtshaa Mines. The four mines have contributed significantly to Botswana’s socio-economic growth through diamond revenue, transforming the country from an agriculturally based economy in the 1960s to a country that has consistently displayed one of the highest economic growth rates in the world.[3][5]
Debswana unearthed a 1,098 carat diamond in Botswana in June 2021. It is believed to be the third largest gem-quality stone ever to be mined. Under the terms of a 2025 signed agreement, Botswana will see its share of diamonds from Debswana grow from 25% to 50%.[6]
Debswana controls all diamond mining in Botswana; there are no private diamond mining operations in the country. Combined production of the company's four mines totalled 30 millioncarats 6,000 kilograms (13,228 lb), nearly a quarter of the world's annual production of around 130 million carats 26,000 kilograms (57,320 lb). The high value per weight of diamonds mined by Debswana has made the company the leading producer of diamonds by value in the world. Debswana is also the second largest producer by volume.[7]
| Year | Income (Billions US$) | Carats produced | Income chg/yr. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011.[8] | 1.08 | 22,900,000 | |
| 2012.[8] | 0.7 | 20,200,000 |  35% |
Diamond mining activities have fueled much of the growth in Botswana's economy, allowing it to grow from one of the poorest countries in the world when it became independent in 1966 to a "middle income" nation, with $9,200per capita income in 2004. The country has an agenda of becoming a "high-income" country by 2036.[9] Largely because of this, Botswana is considered by two major investment services to be the safestcredit risk inAfrica. Diamonds account for approximately one third of the nation'sGDP and over 80 percent of earnings fromexports, as of 2019. Debswana is the largest non-government employer in the country, employing approximately 6,400 people, of whom over 93 percent are Batswana.[2][9]
Debswana has been criticised by the international indigenous rights organisation,Survival International, for not respecting the human rights of theBushmen living in Botswana. Since the mid-eighties, Survival International has published reports that the Botswana government has conducted a campaign of harassment to drive them out and give way to mining exploration.Louis Nchindo, Former Managing Director of Debswana, has said: "The Government was justified in removing theBasarwa from the Reserve… It is sensible of Government to take such action. Otherwise who would always want to remain in the Dark Ages while others move forward?".[10] According toStephen Corry, Director of Survival International, the Bushmen are not backward or primitive, and their human and cultural rights must be respected. TheBotswana government has consistently refuted Survival's claims as exaggerated. There is still no evidence of Debswana mining in theCentral Kalahari Game Reserve as the company operates mines elsewhere, at Jwaneng, Orapa, Letlhakane and Damtshaa.[11]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from"Botswana".The World Factbook (2025 ed.).CIA. (Archived 2017 edition.)
| Subsidiaries and joint ventures | |
|---|---|
| Assets | |
| People | |
