A planned place on DMCC’s diamond tender platform could expose Okavango Diamond Company to a wider global buyer network as Botswana seeks greater value from its mineral exports.
BONGANI MALUNGA
Botswana’s state-owned Okavango Diamond Company (ODC) is set to gain greater access to international buyers through the country’s new partnership with the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), potentially strengthening its position in the global diamond trade.
Buyer Base
The Dubai-based commodities hub plans to onboard ODC into its in-house diamond tender platform, which hosts over 26 000 member companies from 180 countries, giving the state-owned diamond marketer an additional avenue to showcase and sell Botswana’s diamonds to a wider pool of international buyers.
The arrangement could help ODC broaden its buyer base while improving exposure to Dubai’s established commodities ecosystem, which serves as a major trading hub between producers, buyers and financial markets.
Flexible Framework
Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and CEO of the DMCC, said the partnership was deliberately designed to remain flexible, allowing Botswana to determine which commodities should be prioritised.
“Botswana will determine its own economic and export priorities, and the framework is built to accommodate those priorities rather than presume them. Whichever sectors lead over the next decade, the infrastructure is already in place to support them,” Sulayem told Forbes Africa last week.
Beyond Diamonds
The initiative also comes as Botswana continues to pursue new international markets and trading channels for its mineral wealth, with diamonds remaining the country’s dominant export commodity. The DMCC framework could eventually accommodate other Botswana commodities, including copper, coal and soda ash, alongside agricultural products such as beef and maize.
However, the proposed onboarding of ODC places diamonds at the immediate centre of the partnership, potentially giving the state-owned company a new platform to connect Botswana’s rough diamonds with global buyers.