- Gaborone – Tabake Kobedi has been appointed as the new MD of the Diamond Trading Company Botswana (DTC Botswana), a joint venture between De Beers and the Botswana government, from January 10 2012, succeeding Brian McDonald and this has made him the first African to head DTC Kobedi is currently the group finance manager for Debswana, managing a range of activities in finance, supply chain, risk management and insurance, De Beers and the government of Botswana. Kobedi would spend the first nine months to a year of his tenure gaining a deeper understanding of all aspects of the mid-stream and downstream parts of the diamond value chain. He would spend time visiting the cutting ce…

- Diamond sight holders flocks to Gaborone As the Diamond Technology Park gears to move from London to the Botswana, its sight holders have already started the pace of migrating to the to be world capital city of diamonds, Gaborone in Botswana. So far more than 30 diamond sight holders have found home in the capital of Botswana and the latest to open its doors is the Belgian company Laurelton Diamonds. Laurelton Diamonds Botswana has come a long way since they launched their diamond manufacturing business in Botswana with a big 3,000-square-metre factory, with its cutting-edge technology and equipment. Being a fully integrated facility which includes all aspects of manufacturing and the…

Transparency International (TI) formally released its annual Corruption Perception Index (CPI) in Berlin. For the 16th year in a row, Botswana was cited as being the least corrupt country in Africa, as well as among the least corrupt countries in the world. Above all, the country's overall score and ranking have significantly improved in this year's survey. - Botswana was ranked 32 out of 183 countries included in the 2011 survey, up four places from last year and eight places since 2009. The country’s overall score for 2011 was 6.1, up from last year's 5.8 and the 2009 score of 5.4. Botswana's standing thus placed it well within in the top 20% of all survey…

Botswana President Ian Khama has responded to allegations that he carries a British passport, where he was born. The usually quiet president issued a statement pertaining to allegations that were discussed for some days now in that country's parliament. - Khama says "When I presented my name to the Chief Justice to become President, no one questioned my citizenship. Even three years ago when I took over from Mogae, no one questioned my citizenship. Why is it being questioned now? I ask myself the motivation behind that." Do you know that when Obama produced his identity documents, they went on to question the authenticity of the documents?" Tempers once flared in the p…

- The government will set up a National Oil Company as efforts to ensure that citizens have a stake in this lucrative industry. The Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources, Ponatshego Kedikilwe has told parliament that the company's business plan is almost complete whilst its strategies are at the draft stage. This comes in the face of revelations that 98 percent of the 935 million litres of petroleum products Botswana consumes every year is imported from South Africa whilst the remaining two percent is split between Namibia and Mozambique. Responding to queries in Parliament over the matter and concern that the matter was taking too long, Kedikilwe said while there is…

- HIV/AIDS related deaths reduced in Botswana Gaborone , Botswana Projections indicate that HIV/AIDS related deaths are down by around 60 per cent from an estimated 14 700 in 2003 to 6 200 by the end of 2010. The reduction is attributed to introduction of the anti-retroviral programme, said President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama during the World AIDS Day commemoration. With full treatment access and further personal responsibilities for one's own health, President said the nation can aspire for zero AIDS related deaths by 2016. He said government efforts to eliminate HIV continue to be hampered by the intricate relationship between HIV, poverty and social ills such as alcohol ab…

The Botswana government is having problem with the suspended paramount Chief of Kgatleng Kgafela Kgafela 11, region 40 km out of Gaborone the capital , who is now demanding his region to be given independence from the rest of the country. That country's government suspended the troublesome Kgafela Kgafela 11 from carrying duties as the Chief of region after he among other things banned government officials, including ministers from visiting his region. - Recently the Minister of Local Government, Peter Siele, his predecessor, Lebonaamang Mokalake and the Attorney General, Athalia Molokomme were among a high-powered delegation that entered Mochudi to address the residents. Similarly,…