Exclusive: This African Leader Has a Diamond-Rich Deal for Trump

With President Donald Trump‘s recent trip to China reinforcing the significance of global competition for resources, the head of a diamond-rich African nation that recently discovered rare earth and critical mineral deposits is looking to strike a deal to boost trade ties with the United States.

And while Trump’s heightened tariffs continue to impact U.S. relations, Botswana President Duma Boko said that he could relate to the U.S. leader’s prioritization of domestic interests, while also finding common ground to serve as the basis for a mutually beneficial agreement that could aid in the U.S. quest for strategic partners and resources.

“Every country pursues its interests. That is reality,” Boko told Newsweek. “President Trump is America First; I am Botswana First. The task of leadership is to find where those interests meet so we can create shared prosperity.”

“On those terms,” Boko said, “President Trump is someone with whom you can do business.”

The Race to Zero

At the heart of the deal are diamonds, a high-demand mineral that has helped transform Botswana from one of Africa‘s poorest nations upon gaining independence from the United Kingdom six decades ago to one of its richest in terms of GDP per capita. The country is the world’s largest diamond producer by value and second largest by volume, after Russia.

But the industry that accounts for roughly 80 percent of Botswana’s export revenue is contending with major challenges, including the rise of synthetic lab-grown diamonds, growing global stockpiles and, particularly in the unrivaled U.S. market, tariffs.

“Tariffs are not the greatest challenge to Botswana's diamond industry. But tariffs complicate matters,” Boko said. “One cannot pretend otherwise when the United States is the world's largest consumer market for diamond jewelry.”

“The United States, as any country should, looks after its own interests,” he added. “It has raised concerns around non-tariff barriers to trade, and we have engaged constructively to identify where friction can be reduced. Our relationship with Washington remains strong, and we are working together toward practical solutions.”

When Trump unveiled his “Liberation Day” tariffs in April of last year, Botswana was hit with a steep 37 percent tariff. Following trade talks, the figure was later adjusted to 15 percent, though Boko has a different number in mind.

“There is trust, there is candor, and negotiations are ongoing,” Boko said. “We will get to zero percent.”

When it comes to easing trade on diamonds, in particular, the Botswana president argued that reducing tariffs “simply makes economic sense.”

“The United States has no natural diamond industry to protect. Lower tariffs mean lower costs for American jewelers and lower prices for American consumers,” Domo said. “More broadly, America needs reliable, stable and capable partners in Africa. It has also, rightly, tilted its critical minerals strategy toward Africa. Botswana offers both.”

“Botswana, in turn, stands to benefit from greater American investment, technology and knowledge transfer,” he added. “The wider trade relationship should follow naturally on equitable and commercial terms.”

Boko is also pushing for stricter U.S. labeling that distinguishes between natural diamonds and their synthetic counterparts, arguing that “manufactured abundance is qualitatively different from a stone forged over millennia beneath the earth's surface.”

“Every natural diamond is geologically unique, carrying an authenticity that cannot be industrially replicated,” Boko said. “That rarity speaks to something deeply human-romance, permanence, meaning. The market has faced cycles before and will again. Natural diamonds' immutable, unreplaceable qualities endure, and so too will demand for them.”

His confidence in the natural diamond market is underscored by a push to acquire a larger stake in British diamond giant De Beers, which has its origins in neighboring South Africa and retains one of its headquarters there. It’s a move the Botswana leader said would also multiply the benefits of the lucrative trade for the nation’s people.

“Botswana is adapting. It is no secret that we are pursuing a greater stake in De Beers because we believe Batswana should derive greater value from the resources they steward,” Boko said. “We will move further up the value chain through beneficiation, cutting, polishing and greater participation in the industry.”

Untapped Potential

There are other ways in which Botswana is adapting.

“Diamonds built Botswana. But no building stands securely on a single pillar forever,” Boko said. “Diversification is not optional; it is an imperative.”

To usher in this transformation, he outlined a five-pillar strategy in line with the Botswana Economic Transformation Program launched last July. The ambitious initiative includes increasing investment in other industries, such as beef, bolstering the financial sector, and further developing infrastructure, housing and transportation.

One key pillar gaining traction is the mining of other minerals. In February, Canadian company Tsodilo Resources Limited announced that it had discovered deposits including all 15 rare earth elements found on the U.S. Critical Mineral List, as well as potential reserves of other critical minerals such as copper, cobalt, nickel and vanadium.

“The government's role is straightforward: remove friction,” Boko said. “We are speeding up permitting and regulatory approvals, modernizing geological mapping and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy so investors can move at the pace opportunity demands.”

Such resources have garnered even more attention in the U.S. since the war launched against Iran in February has raised questions regarding depleted U.S. weapons and munitions stockpiles. Rare earth elements and other critical minerals serve as the backbone for advanced technology ranging from electric vehicles and semiconductors to military equipment.

Supply chain issues are further complicated by the fact that much of the world’s rare earths trade is dominated by China, accounting for more than two-thirds of global output. Trump has sought to counter Beijing’s advantage through exploration ventures and trade restrictions, though Chinese countermeasures have proven potent.

Trump adopted a notably conciliatory and cooperative tone when he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping last month, though no formal agreement on rare earth minerals ensued.

Meanwhile, Botswana is one of many African nations to have bolstered ties with China, part of a decades-long strategy by the People’s Republic to shore up relations across the continent. Boko said that it does not have to come at the cost of deals with the West.

“Africa is increasingly courted by partners from across the world: since the turn of the century by China and countries from across Asia, in the last decade by countries of the Middle and Near East, and in recent years by Western nations-our traditional partners-seeking re-engagement,” Boko said.

“We refuse to believe deals made with one or more countries must come at the expense of others. We live in a multipolar world,” he added. “Botswana will assess opportunities case by case based on what will benefit our people. Our obligation is to deliver for them.”

In fact, he identified common values between Botswana-often ranked among Africa’s most democratic nations-and Western countries such as the U.S., which made collaboration particularly conducive.

“It is said that nations have no permanent friends or allies, only permanent interests. I believe that is only partially true,” Boko said. “It is in a nation's interests to have permanent friends, because trust and shared purpose are strategic assets.”

“For Botswana, Africa's most democratic and robustly governed nation, that means holding a special bond with nations such as the United States and Great Britain,” he added. “Of course, Botswana has options, but we will strive in particular to reach agreements with those who share our values.”

Yet tariffs are not the only factor that has frayed the White House’s relationship in Africa. Trump has garnered criticism for reported comments disparaging developing nations on the continent, and Botswana was among the countries back in 2018 to condemn the first-term U.S. leader’s alleged dismissal of “shithole” countries in Africa.

Today, Boko said Botswana’s high-income status also means the country will be negotiating from a “position of strength,” capitalizing on its status as a “beacon of stability” and desire to shift from an “overreliance on diamonds” to achieve its “greatest opportunity.”

“Fortunately, what our predecessors in government did bequeath to the nation is an extraordinary base of educated, capable people and a robust governance system where the checks between the executive, legislature, and judiciary are in balance,” Boko said. “We are already deeply experienced in partnering with multinational companies through our deep experience in diamonds.”

“Together, this makes me certain our future shines every bit as brightly as the diamonds that helped build our nation.”

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 4:00 AM.