When President Duma Boko took office, he made a clear choice: Botswana’s future would be built on the skills of its people. Not on diamonds alone, but on the minds that would shape the industry around them. That vision is now taking shape through a strategic partnership with De Beers Group and the launch of the International Graduate Development Programme (IGDP) a two-year initiative designed to train Botswana’s brightest graduates to international standards.
The IGDP is no ordinary internship. It offers exceptional university graduates a rare opportunity to work within De Beers’ global operations across nine different rotations. Participants move through fields as varied as mining, science and technology, security, sustainability, finance, and data analytics. It’s an immersion into the very engine of the diamond industry.
Olefile Setswamokwena, De Beers’ vice-president for human resources, put it simply: « The IGDP offers performing university graduates a two-year international placement within the De Beers group’s global operations, and 50% of the students could end up being employed by the company. »
The first cohort, announced in October 2025, brought together ten young Batswana selected through a rigorous process.
In 2026, eight new trainees joined the programme, including five from technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions. The message is clear: talent comes from every corner of the education system.
Minister of Minerals and Energy, Bogolo Joy Kenewendo, welcomed the initiative, describing it as « the beginning of the talent programme we are implementing under the Debswana sales agreement. » It is, in her words, a foundational step.
But the IGDP is only one piece of the puzzle. The government is also rolling out university scholarships for Master’s and PhD studies, internships for tertiary students, and an entrepreneurship programme focused on the diamond sector. The ambition is systemic.
Under Duma Boko’s leadership, Botswana is no longer content to simply extract and export. It wants to create a generation of leaders who will not only work in the industry but shape it.
The president’s vision is clear: human capital is the true engine of prosperity. And by investing in it now, Botswana is securing its place not just as a mining nation, but as a hub of global expertise.
