INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

The revenues generated from the diamond trade also help build vital infrastructure like roads and public transportation systems.

For example, in Botswana in 1966 there were only three miles of road in Botswana. Today, there are nearly 4,000, as well as a public transportation system. There is now a country-wide digital telephone network in Botswana, consisting of several thousand miles of fiber optic cable.

These improvements were paid for, in part, by the revenues generated from the sales of diamonds.

Now that travel and communications have improved, the people in Botswana have better access to better employment opportunities, healthcare facilities, schools, and cities. These improvements to the country’s infrastructure also pave the way for continued economic opportunity and development in the future.