First Independent Mena Newspaper
Botswana’s President strongly protested against a German plan to restrict imports of hunting trophies from the African country. Germany raised sustainability and poaching concern for its hunting trophy restrictions. President Mokgweetsi Masisi responded to the decision saying he would send 20,000 elephants as a gift to Germany, complaining of an over elephant population. “It is […]
The United States will provide an additional $380 million in humanitarian assistance for Africa, top diplomat Antony Blinken announced Thursday. “With this funding, the United States has provided more than $4 billion in humanitarian assistance this fiscal year to respond to the needs of refugees, internally displaced persons, and people affected by conflict and crisis […]
Over 1,000 participants from the United States and across the African continent, including government officials, private sector executives, investors, and multilateral stakeholders, have gathered for the 15th US-Africa Business Summit held in Botswana’s capital city of Gaborone to explore investment opportunities and strengthen business relationships between both sides. The summit, held under the theme ‘Enhancing […]
Botswana and mining company De Beers have announced, after years of negotiations, a new diamond sales deal that gives the South African country a bigger share of rough stones from their joint venture. Debswana, a joint venture between De Beers (a subsidiary of Anglo American, a UK-listed multinational mining company) and Botswana’s government, sells 75% […]
The Botswana government announced Monday that it will buy a 24% stake in the Belgian gem trader HB Antwerp, a move that is seen as a possible challenge to De Beers’s dominance of the southern African nation’s diamond industry. “Today is the dawn of a new era of a diamond industry in Botswana as we […]
Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi has warned that his country may sever ties with diamond giant De Beers if talks to renegotiate a sales deal prove unfavorable to his government, AFP reports. Masisi also called on the nation to rally behind his government as it tries to hammer out a better deal. The country is Africa’s […]
Botswana’s government has revised upwards its 2022 economic growth forecast to 6.7% from an earlier estimate of 4.2 per cent, the country’s Finance Minister Peggy Serame said on Monday according to Reuters. Serame, who was speaking during an annual budget speech, argued that the 2022 revision was linked to the diamond-rich southern african country’s strong […]
The number of endangered rhinos poached in Namibia reached the highest level on record in 2022, as twice as many animals — 87 compared to 45 — were killed in 2021, official government data showed on Monday (30 January). Africa’s rhino population has been decimated over the decades to feed demand for rhino horn, which, […]
Botswana, the world’s second-largest diamond producer, has won its bid to host the permanent secretariat of the Kimberley Process (KP), the grouping that certifies that diamonds are not used to fund rebel groups. The KP, a coalition of governments, the diamond industry and civil society representatives, said in a statement on Monday (7 November) it […]
Botswana has expressed concern over an influx of asylum seekers who fled from countries, including 700 refugees from neighboring Zimbabwe and hundreds more from South Africa, where they had already been granted refugee status. Those who have arrived from neighboring Zimbabwe were citing poor conditions at the refugee camp, while others have come from South […]