Sunday Standard
How Mogae helped Botswana exorcise the resource curse through the Gaborone–Surat Axis
For decades, the global diamond industry followed a predictable, euro-centric script. A stone mined in Botswana would almost inevitably find its way onto a flight to Antwerp, Belgium. There, in the tightly guarded Diamond Quarter, European merchants would trade it, and Flemish artisans would cut it. It was a familiar African story where you export the raw wealth, import the expensive finished product.
But the economic currents of 2026 reveal that Botswana has successfully rewritten this narrative.
According to the Bank of Botswana’s (BoB) External Statistics Bulletin for September 2026, a quiet revolution has culminated in a dramatic statistical milestone, India has officially asserted itself as the leading destination for Botswana’s exports, commanding a staggering 32 percent of all outbound goods. Simultaneously, Botswana’s exports to India nearly doubled in a dizzying leap, soaring by 98.8 percent from P1.6 billion to P3.1 billion. Conversely, Belgium’s intake of Botswana’s mineral wealth plummeted by 41.8 percent, dropping to P1.4 billion.
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The post How Mogae helped Botswana exorcise the resource curse through the Gaborone–Surat Axis first appeared on Sunday Standard and is written by Sunday Standard Reporter