Producing mineBotswana
Jwaneng
Operated by Debswana (De Beers and the Government of Botswana)
The world's richest diamond mine by value, in southern Botswana.
Photo: Ossewa · CC BY-SA 3.0
Reference specimen · DGPC/ADF Luísa Oliveira, CC0
Precious
Sample dataDiamonds (rough) C
Africa produces most of the world's rough diamonds by value. Botswana is the #1 producer by value, and Angola, the DRC (#1 by volume, mostly industrial quality), South Africa, Namibia (marine diamonds), Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone and Lesotho (Letšeng, very high value per carat) follow. Rough trade is regulated by the Kimberley Process. Since 2022 the market has been in a deep downturn from lab-grown competition: De Beers' rough sales fell from US$5.67bn in 2022 to US$1.95bn in 2024.
- Availability
- Contract / Enquiry — Kimberley Process-certified only
- African sources
- Botswana · DR Congo · Angola · South Africa · Namibia · Sierra Leone · Zimbabwe · Lesotho
- Traded as
- Rough gem diamonds · Near-gem and industrial rough · Polished diamonds
- HS codes
- 7102.10 · 7102.21 · 7102.31
Controlled supply
This mineral is subject to kimberley process. Offers are published only after ARAM has reviewed the supporting documents, and some details are visible to verified companies only.
Current offers
Verified companies only
Volumes, origins and terms are shown to verified companies. Availability for everyone else: Contract / Enquiry — Kimberley Process-certified only. Verify your company or submit a request.
What is traded
Rough gem diamonds
Unit: ct · HS 7102.10
sold in assortments by size, model/shape, quality, colour (thousands of price categories)
Near-gem and industrial rough (boart)
Unit: ct · HS 7102.21
abrasives, drilling (mostly displaced by synthetic)
Polished diamonds
Unit: ct · HS 7102.31
downstream (Antwerp, Surat, Dubai, Tel Aviv)
Uses
- Jewellery
- Industrial cutting/drilling (now mostly synthetic)
ARAM sourcing assessment
Specialist and depressed market; only viable with KP-registered partners and gemmological expertise. Listing status: Contract / Enquiry (KP-certified sellers only).
- Botswana
- DR Congo
- Angola
- South Africa
- Namibia
- Sierra Leone
- Zimbabwe
- Lesotho
Producers, mines and projects
Botswana
Debswana (De Beers/Government 50:50 — Jwaneng, Orapa); Karowe (Lucara); Okavango Diamond Company (state marketing, 30→40% of Debswana output from 2025)
Angola
Catoca, Lulo, Luaxe; Sodiam (state marketing)
DR Congo
MIBA, SACIM, large artisanal sector (Kasai)
South Africa
Venetia (De Beers), Cullinan (Petra), Finsch
Namibia
Namdeb/Debmarine (marine)
Zimbabwe
ZCDC (Marange)
Sierra Leone
Koidu; Lesotho: Letšeng
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — African rows of the world production & reserves table
World Natural Industrial Diamond Mine Production and Reserves: Reserves for Russia, South Africa, and Angola 1 1 150 Botswana 5 5 250 Congo (Kinshasa) 7 7 150 South Africa 3 3 87 Zimbabwe 5 5 56 World total (rounded) 38 38 1,700
Exports reported by African countries
| Year | Country | HS | Value | Net weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Botswana | 710231 | $3.17bn | 6 t |
| 2023 | Angola | 710221 | $1.57bn | 2 t |
| 2024 | Angola | 710221 | $1.53bn | 2 t |
| 2023 | Namibia | 710231 | $982.7m | 1 t |
| 2023 | South Africa | 710231 | $881.7m | 1 t |
| 2024 | Namibia | 710231 | $821.7m | 1 t |
| 2024 | South Africa | 710231 | $725.4m | 1 t |
| 2023 | Zimbabwe | 710221 | $324.6m | 1 t |
| 2024 | Lesotho | 710231 | $224.3m | 6 t |
| 2024 | Zimbabwe | 710221 | $219.7m | 1 t |
| 2023 | South Africa | 710210 | $219.6m | 1 t |
| 2023 | Lesotho | 710231 | $195.8m | 99 t |
Imports from Africa reported by buyers
Mirror data fills gaps where exporters report late or incompletely.
| Year | Buyer | Origin | HS | Value | Net weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | UAE | Angola | 710231 | $1.52bn | 2 t |
| 2023 | UAE | Botswana | 710231 | $1.45bn | 3 t |
| 2024 | India | Angola | 710231 | $1.39bn | 1 t |
| 2023 | India | Botswana | 710231 | $1.24bn | 1 t |
| 2024 | India | Botswana | 710231 | $1.14bn | 1 t |
| 2023 | India | Angola | 710231 | $1.11bn | 1 t |
| 2023 | Belgium | Botswana | 710231 | $871.5m | 1 t |
| 2023 | UAE | South Africa | 710231 | $668.4m | 0 t |
| 2024 | Belgium | Botswana | 710231 | $618.9m | 1 t |
| 2023 | Belgium | Angola | 710231 | $584.9m | 1 t |
| 2024 | Belgium | Angola | 710231 | $548.0m | 1 t |
| 2023 | India | South Africa | 710231 | $527.5m | 1 t |
Source: UN Comtrade (public data). Values in US$.
How it is priced
- No exchange price. Rough is sold via sights (De Beers), tenders and auctions (ODC, Sodiam, Gem Diamonds), and bilateral contracts; indices from Rapaport, Zimnisky, Paul Zimnisky rough index
Commercial terms
Minerals trade on formula prices: a published benchmark × metal content × payable percentage, less treatment charges and impurity penalties, settled on independent assay. Payment is typically by documentary letter of credit, with 90–95% provisional payment against shipping documents and the balance on final assay.
Request terms for Diamonds (rough)Assay & quality control
- Valuation by independent government diamond valuators (e.g. Botswana GDV) and buyer inspection; synthetic screening (lab-grown detection devices) is now essential
Logistics
- Sealed, tamper-evident parcels with the KP certificate; secure couriers to Antwerp, Dubai, Mumbai, Tel Aviv, Gaborone
Export rules by country
Cross-border
Permit / licence
Kimberley Process Certification Scheme — every rough shipment between participants needs a KP certificate; import/export only via designated authorities
Authority: Kimberley ProcessPrimary sourceSource
Cross-border
No special restriction
Botswana, Namibia, South Africa require local beneficiation offers (state first-refusal / cutting obligations)
Primary source
Cross-border
No special restriction
G7 restrictions on Russian diamonds require origin verification for parcels entering G7 markets
Primary source
Compliance & due diligence
- World Diamond Council System of Warranties on invoices
- AML/KYC (FATF treats diamond dealers as designated non-financial businesses)
- Artisanal diamonds (DRC, CAR, Sierra Leone) carry conflict/child-labour risk — CAR partially embargoed
Red flags
- Lab-grown stones mixed into natural parcels
- Fake KP certificates, smuggling via neighbouring states
- Market oversupply and price collapse
Latest findings, with sources
All rough diamond trade between Kimberley Process participants requires a KP certificate; sealed, tamper-proof containers. Botswana (Debswana: 50/50 De Beers–Government; Jwaneng, Orapa) — Feb 2025 agreement raised Okavango Diamond Company's share of Debswana output to 30%, rising to 40%. De Beers rough sales fell from US$5.67bn (2022) to US$1.95bn (2024) amid lab-grown competition. Angola 2025 KP export value ~US$1.65bn (Sodiam, Catoca).
Source 1 · kimberleyprocess.comSource 2 · kimberleyprocess.comSource 3 · debeersgroup.comSource 4 · sundayindependent.co.zaSource 5 · nsenergybusiness.com
Research compiled September 2026 from USGS, UN Comtrade, producer and regulator publications. Facts marked “reported” come from secondary sources and should be confirmed before contracting.
On the ground · Diamonds (rough)
The mines behind the supply.
The mines and districts that define supply, with their operators. They are shown for geographic context: third-party operations, not ARAM sites, and not the source of any particular lot. Ownership and status as publicly reported in 2026.
Producing mine
Producing mineBotswana
Orapa
Operated by Debswana
One of the world's largest diamond mines by area, on the edge of the Kalahari.
Photo: NASA/METI/AIST/Japan Space Systems, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team · Public domain
Historic mineSouth Africa
Kimberley (the Big Hole)
Operated by Historic (De Beers)
The hand-dug pipe that started the South African diamond industry and gave its name to kimberlite and the Kimberley Process.
Photo: Irene2005 · CC BY 2.0
Producing mineAngola
Catoca
Operated by Sociedade Mineira de Catoca (Endiama and partners)
One of the world's largest kimberlite diamond mines, in Lunda Sul province.
Photo: Gsmart-ao · CC BY-SA 4.0Reference specimens
DGPC/ADF Luísa Oliveira, CC0
Woudloper, CC BY-SA 1.0
Géry PARENT, Public domain
Smithsonian Institution, Public domain
Reference specimens of the ore minerals and products, from public collections. They illustrate the material, not a specific ARAM lot or source.
Related minerals
#10Precious
Gold Au
Gold is the most liquid commodity on the list and Africa's largest mineral export by value. The top producers are Ghana (Africa's #1, about 6 Moz in 2025), Mali, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Supply splits into large-scale mines selling doré to accredited refiners, and artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), which employs millions and is the channel most exposed to smuggling, conflict financing and money laundering. It is traded under the strictest due-diligence regime of any mineral.
- Supply
- Spot — verified buyers only
- Assay
- Independent — required
- Origin
- Verified per offer
Request supply
#08Precious
Platinum-Group Metals Pt, Pd, Rh
The platinum-group metals are platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium and osmium. They are used in autocatalysts, hydrogen electrolysers and fuel cells, glass, electronics, chemicals, jewellery and investment. South Africa's Bushveld Complex holds most of the world's PGM reserves and produces about 70% of its platinum and more than 80% of its rhodium. Zimbabwe's Great Dyke is the #3 platinum source. The industry is dominated by a few integrated miners that smelt and refine in South Africa.
- Supply
- Contract (concentrate) / Spot (refined, licensed)
- Assay
- Independent — required
- Origin
- Verified per offer
Request supply