HB Antwerp Teams Up with Botswana University

RAPAPORT… HB Antwerp has launched a partnership with a Botswanan university — the Belgian diamond manufacturer’s second recent foray into education.

The company has signed a five-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Botswana International University of Science & Technology (BIUST) in Palapye, HB said Friday. The pair will organize traineeships and scholarships for people in the southern African country, as well as creating job opportunities in the diamond sector. The collaboration will also enable the exchange of knowledge between Belgium and Botswana, the manufacturer said.

HB, which focuses on large diamonds and aims to streamline the supply chain using technology, has expanded fast in the past year and a half through hiring and acquisitions. Last year, it set up the HB Academy, a training and education center in Antwerp for budding diamantaires and jewelers and for the company’s own employees.

The company has a long-term supply arrangement with Lucara Diamond Corp. — owner of the Karowe mine in Botswana — under which it receives all rough above 10.8 carats.

Image: The BIUST campus in Palapye, Botswana. (Astronomy & Society Group)