Okavango Becomes First Non-Mining Member of NDC

Okavango Diamond Company (ODC) has joined the Natural Diamond Council (NDC), becoming its first member outside of the mining industry.

ODC, Botswana’s government-owned rough-marketing company, signed with the NDC in an effort to spread awareness of the country’s diamond industry, the two said Wednesday.

“ODC believes strongly in building customer confidence which we feel blends very seamlessly with NDC’s mission to expand consumer awareness across the market,” said ODC managing director Mmetla Masire. “We look forward to working with NDC to further our mission to provide the Botswana government with a direct route to market for its rough diamonds, and to support the ongoing transformation of Botswana into a leading rough-natural-diamond sourcing destination.”

Last year, ODC reached a new agreement with De Beers that will see it sell a greater share of rough within the country. The company will initially receive 30% of production from Debswana, a joint venture between De Beers and the government. That figure will increase progressively to 50% over the duration of the 10-year agreement. Okavango sells over 6 million carats of rough per year, all sourced from Debswana.

In addition to welcoming ODC as a new member, the NDC will onboard Masire to its board of directors.

“ODC is a leading nation in setting the standards for the responsible management of its natural resources,” said NDC CEO David Kellie. “ODC’s membership of NDC allows us to share the story of the Botswana natural-diamond industry more widely with the world. We look forward to inspiring more consumers with the incredible story of Botswana’s diamonds and the positive impact that they have for the Batswana. It’s a story that consumers around the world are responding strongly to.”

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Main image: Rough diamonds. (Okavango Diamond Company)