Editor’s Note
The G7 has designated Botswana as its second certification point for rough diamonds, a move that leverages the country’s role as the world’s top diamond producer by value and the sorting hub for De Beers. This new verification center is slated to begin operations in 2025.
The G7 announced on Wednesday that it has added Botswana as a second certification point for rough diamonds. As the world’s largest diamond producer by value and the sorting center for all De Beers Group goods, this southern African country’s rough verification operations are expected to be operational “as soon as possible” in 2025.
Botswana will join Antwerp, Belgium, as a certification “node” for rough diamonds. This is a critical addition to the G7’s efforts to prevent diamonds mined in Russia from entering any of the Group of Seven nations. The announcement was made jointly by the G7’s diamond technical team and Botswana on Wednesday, the second day of the annual Facets diamond conference in Antwerp.
The new President of Botswana, His Excellency Duma G. Boko, made his diamond industry debut at the conference on Tuesday, speaking about his country’s role in enhancing transparency and accountability in the supply chain.
The G7 import ban on non-industrial diamonds “mined, processed, or produced” in Russia went into effect on January 1 of this year, nearly two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Diamonds were part of a broader set of measures G7 members said they would undertake to make it more difficult for Russia to fund its war in Ukraine. The G7 comprises the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Italy, Germany, Canada, and France, with the European Union as a non-enumerated member.
On March 1, the ban expanded to include diamonds mined in Russia but cut and polished in other countries. A verification “node”—an office that could certify the origin of rough diamonds and issue G7 certificates—opened in Antwerp. However, the office was plagued with delays, and there was near-universal objection in the diamond industry to having a single checkpoint for all diamonds entering G7 nations. Players including Jewelers of America, De Beers Group, India’s Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council, the African Diamond Producers Association, and even the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) voiced their opposition to a single-node system.
Less than two months after the March 1 ban went into effect, AWDC CEO Ari Epstein stepped down after 13 years in the position and 19 years with the organization. Karen Rentmeesters took over and has since publicly expressed support for establishing additional rough diamond certification centers outside Antwerp. Supporters of opening additional verification centers scored another victory in June when Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, whose government backed the single-node system, resigned after his party suffered heavy losses in the general election.
On Wednesday, AWDC issued a statement on the addition of Botswana as a verification “node.” Karen Rentmeesters stated:
The G7 said the teams in Belgium and Botswana conducted a comprehensive gap analysis of the framework in place in Botswana to certify the origin of rough diamonds. Botswana is now working with the G7’s diamond technical team to address any identified gaps. The goal is for the country’s export certification node to be operational “as soon as possible” in 2025.
