Following President Félix Tshisekedi’s 2023 visit to Botswana, a Congolese delegation led by Joëlle Kabena, Coordinator of the State Financial Support Project Management Unit for the Revival of MIBA Activities (UGP-MIBA), visited Gaborone from March 17 to 22, 2025.
The mission aimed to draw lessons from Botswana’s world-renowned success in the diamond sector to help relaunch the operations of MIBA, once a major economic engine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The delegation included members of MIBA’s technical management, an expert from the Ministry of Finance, and a national deputy from Kasai Oriental.
The visit followed President Tshisekedi’s call in 2023—after attending a DRC-Botswana economic forum—for Congo to emulate Botswana’s model in diamond exploitation and marketing.
According to UGP-MIBA’s communications team, the delegation held constructive meetings with stakeholders in Botswana’s mining sector, including visits to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the Botswana Chamber of Commerce, and Debswana Diamond Company.
These engagements offered insights into Botswana’s governance model, revenue-sharing mechanisms, and public-private partnership frameworks in the diamond industry.
“The revival of MIBA will help reposition this state-owned enterprise among the world’s leading diamond producers,” said Joëlle Kabena.
“It will once again serve as a driver of economic growth, job creation, and a contributor to the national budget—aligned with the President’s vision and implemented by the Ministries of Finance and Portfolio.”
Kabena emphasized that UGP-MIBA does not replace MIBA but works in partnership with the company and, eventually, with local communities—especially women and youth—to ensure the success of the recovery plan.
Public sentiment supports this initiative, with many believing UGP-MIBA has a critical role to play in guiding the company’s turnaround. There have even been calls for UGP’s model to be expanded to support other struggling mining projects in the country.
A MIBA technical management representative who joined the delegation noted that the company is open to strategic partnerships to strengthen its technical capabilities and secure mining zones. “Reviving MIBA requires solid economic viability and smoother integration into the global supply chain,” the representative said.
Botswana, Africa’s top diamond producer and the world’s second-largest, has built its success through a long-standing partnership with De Beers since 1971.
Its GDP has grown from just over US$30 million in 1960 to US$17 billion in 2017, largely due to transparent and efficient diamond revenue management.
UGP-MIBA, headquartered in Kinshasa, is tasked with coordinating the financial and technical aspects of MIBA’s revival. It ensures effective implementation of the recovery plan and aims to restore the company’s former prominence in the global diamond industry
