Botswana’s Trojan horse

(Mmegionline) - Far from the usual tales of corporations looting Africa, Botswana’s primary corporate partner, De Beers, has been involved with the government in what is considered as one of the world’s longest public-private partnerships. De Beers has gone so far as to give Botswana a 15% share in the corporation.  Botswana has even established a sovereign fund to ensure that the finite resource of diamonds can reap indefinite revenues. But it is also one of the most unequal countries in the world, hosting significant poverty and lack of opportunity. An exceptional diamond agreement revealed by Mossack Fonseca, a Panama-based offshore service provider, obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, raises questions about the secrecy that shapes Botswana’s diamond industry.