Lazare Kaplan Botswana (Pty) Ltd, the wholly-owned subsidiary of the New York-based sightholder and jewellery manufacturer Lazare Kaplan International, was granted a licence to cut and polish diamonds in Botswana by the government, as part of its drive to beneficiate diamonds within the country.
Alfred Majaye Dube, Botswana's former Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, was appointed managing director of the new venture.
After closing down its Batswana polishing unit in 1998, the Lazare Kaplan said it has actively considered returning to the country.
“They are delighted to be resuming investment in Botswana as part of their core business, building on nearly two decades of friendship and constructive collaboration across a range of fields,” said Lazare Kaplan president Leon Tempelsman.
“And they are pleased to be able to have someone of the exceptional calibre of Alfred Dube to carry their plans forward in Botswana,” he added.
Gems & Jewellery Export Promotion Council