"The diamond mines were a Godsend, and rapidly transformed the economy, increasing the revenue of the country from less than P10 million a year at Independence to over a billion today."
- The then Honourable Minister of Mineral Resources and Water Affairs, Mr A.M Mogwe, 1990.
Debswana is the largest private sector employer in Botswana, with more than 4 000 staff members. These are mainly found on mining sites, along with just over 5 000 fixed-term contractors and a small staff complement at the Debswana Corporate Centre in Gaborone, Botswana’s capital. Diamond mining operations are located at Orapa, Letlhakane, Damtshaa (OLDM) and Jwaneng. These four mines have contributed significantly to the economic growth of Botswana, as well as producing revenues responsible for lifting the country from one of Africa’s least developed to an international development success story. Botswana is now a middle-income country independent in means as well as name.
Debswana also owns and operates the Morupule Coal Mine. Debswana is a key player in the national economy of Botswana. In 2014, diamond exports accounted for about half of government revenues and a third of GDP.