Next Africa

Botswana Reels as Diamonds Lose Their Sparkle

A De Beers store in Hong Kong.

Photographer: Lam Yik/Bloomberg

Welcome to Next Africa, a twice-weekly newsletter on where the continent stands now — and where it’s headed. Sign up here to have it delivered to your email.

Over the six decades since diamonds were discovered in Botswana, the southern African nation has been a model of how an abundant natural resource can be used to benefit its people.