High in Lesotho’s rugged mountains, a 346.99-carat diamond emerged from the earth, joining a remarkable lineage of giant stones. But the story of the Lesotho Jubilee is just beginning.
A diamond on display at the Presidential Diamond Jubilee Reception on September 24, 2026. (Courtesy of Kpshotit)
60 Years In, Botswana’s Future Is Written in Diamonds
Botswana came to New York to celebrate the Presidential Diamond Jubilee, toasting to 60 years of independence. The conversation quickly turned to diamonds, conservation, and the women shaping what comes next.
There is so much to glean from a visit to Botswana, or a study of the country if a trip isn’t on the horizon. Chobe National Park is among the best safari destinations in the world—a spectacular landscape teeming with lions, giraffes, zebras, elephants, and more. The Okavango Delta is among Earth’s most vast and fascinating landscapes, and Tsodilo Hills, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is varnished with more than 4,500 rock paintings dating back some 20.000 years, which are among modern-day Botswana’s sacred and spiritual connections to its past.
Of course, there are a plethora of diamonds too. Botswana leads the world in diamond production by value, and the shimmering natural stones account for roughly 30 percent of the nation’s GDP. The 2,488-carat Motswedi Diamond found in 2024? The Okavango Blue that just hit the Messika’s Paris Fashion Week runway? That gorgeous rock on Meghan Markle’s ring finger?
60 Years, No Small Story
But beyond its natural splendor, Botswana is a model of political, social, and economic stability. This was especially evident when Duma Boko was elected president on November 1, 2024—ending 58 years of Botswana Democratic Party leadership—and power was peacefully handed over. That history took on particular resonance this September as Botswana prepared to celebrate its Diamond Jubilee: 60 years of independence on September 30. And in the days leading up to the milestone, some of that celebration made its way to New York.
The Women Running the Conversation
During the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly and its High-Level Week, Botswana’s strength was on display, but something else was too: As the nation celebrated and shared the latest news from its diamond industry—from sustainability efforts to increased demand for its warm-toned desert diamonds—women were the expert and authoritative voices in many of the conversations.
Last week, a who’s who of African leaders, Olympic athletes, and DeBeers executives—President Boko; Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex; and Venus Williams among them—arrived at downtown Manhattan’s Le Jardin Sur Madison to celebrate The National Geographic Society and De Beers Group Okavango Eternal Partnership. Following an al fresco cocktail hour where Ciara, Botswanan gold medalist Letsile Tebogo, and De Beers chief people officer Malebogo Mpugwa were all spotted, National Geographic explorer Steve Boyes took the stage to discuss the partnership’s research and conservation efforts. “Now it’s my privilege to bring into this conversation three extraordinary individuals,” he said, introducing the Honourable Bogolo Joy Kenewendo, Botswana’s Minister of Minerals and Energy; Ana Paula Chantre Luna de Carvalho Pereira, Angola’s Minister of the Environment; and the Honourable Inge Zamwaani-Kamwi, Namibia’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Land Reform.
“We cannot talk about our diamond industry without talking about the Okavango Delta, and the opportunity that our diamond revenues have given us to be able to preserve over one third of our land mass for conservation purposes,” Kenewendo said. “But overall, and above that,” she continued, “it is also about [what] we do in our mines and around our mines to enable opportunity—economic opportunity, social development opportunity, and conservation.” Like many in the audience, Kenewendo noticed that she shared something in common with the others on stage. “[I]’ congratulate Botswana, and Namibia, and Angola for featuring women ministers,” she said to enthusiastic applause. “It was beautiful to see when I got here. I hadn’t realized that that’s what was going to happen, so I’m very pleased.”
Zamwaani-Kamwi then highlighted the Namibian government’s commitment to working with those who live on the Okavango River—“their whole livelihood is dependent on the ecosystem of the river; that’s why we have decided that we will protect some of those key areas [and] try to minimize commercialization”—before the president shared some remarks. The one that solicited the most laughs? His description of Prince Harry as “a regular—almost a citizen—of Botswana, particularly the Okavango Delta.”
A Jubilee With Bigger Plans
The following evening, Rockefeller Center served as the backdrop for Botswana’s Presidential Diamond Jubilee. Kenewendo again commanded the stage, this time speaking of the many strides the country has made over the last six decades.
“Sixty years ago, when Botswana attained independence in 1966, very few imagined that a small, landlocked African country, with limited infrastructure and financial resources, would become one of the world’s most respected development stories; that it would become one of the custodians of the most valuable diamonds in the world,” she said, adding that the progress is the result of deliberate choices. “We chose peace, we chose democracy, we chose strong institutions, and we chose partnerships founded on mutual benefit. And importantly, we choose to use the proceeds from our natural resources to invest in our people and in the planet. Diamonds have been central to our journey. They have helped us create this development. And now, we look responsibly to the next 60 years.”
The Power of Development Diamonds
Those forthcoming years are often at the forefront of Lesego Chombo’s mind. Botswana’s Minister of Youth Agenda Affairs, she was in New York for the jubilee and other festivities. Of the country’s most cherished mineral, she told us: “We called them development diamonds for a reason.” In addition to free health care, an allowance for new mothers for up to a year, and free quality education up until university, Botswana’s diamond industry funds numerous other youth programs. “We currently have a youth enterprise development program called the U Development Fund, and it funds youth entrepreneurs,” Chombo said. “It gives them 50% of a loan and 50% of a grant. For certain, we’ve only managed to do this for a very long time because of our diamonds.”
A lawyer by profession who received a public education, Chombo has experienced the benefit of diamonds firsthand—and been an ambassador of them as well. “I was Miss Botswana 2022, and I went to Miss World in 2024. I was privileged to wear one of our diamonds in partnership with Messika. It’s just one of these incredible stories that we get to tell when we walk on global stages. To carry these beautiful pieces that represent development back home.”
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