Botswana's newly established Afrimond Diamond and Jewellery Institute will reportedly provide training and consulting services to the country's diamond workers in an effort to enhance local diamond beneficiation and create employment for Batswana. These services are "essential" to increase Botswana's competitiveness in the global economic arena, said Afrimond Managing Director Todd Majaye during recent diamond beneficiation workshop in Botswana, reports Mmegi Online.  

According to Majaye, in addition to its aim of strengthening locals' value-added diamond skills, Afrimond plans to use Botswana, the world's largest diamond producer by value, as a base from which to provide its services to all of Africa's diamond-producing countries and their downstream workers, notes the news source.  

Afrimond was established in South Africa in 2000 in response to the growing need for knowledge and skills among locals in Africa's diamond and mineral producing countries.