Bruce Cleaver, CEO, De Beers addressed the second US - Africa Business Forum in New York on September 21 along with world leaders, including US President Barack Obama, US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, US Secretary of State John Kerry, Michael R. Bloomberg and various African heads of state.

Cleaver highlighted the success of the partnership between Botswana and De Beers, which has endured for almost 50 years and is one of the world’s longest and most successful public-private partnerships.

The Forum, hosted by the US Department of Commerce and Bloomberg Philanthropies, was also addressed by other private sector CEOs from the US and Africa. The US government has recognised the tremendous potential of the fast-growing and dynamic economies of Africa, and along with the US private sector has agreed that the promotion of economic partnerships, sustainable development, and increased two-way trade and investment is central to the US-Africa relationship.

The interactive sessions focused on a variety of key issues that impact US – African partnerships, including economic diversification and regional integration, entrepreneurship and bottom-up innovation, and the continent’s digital future.

In his address, Cleaver said, “Careful stewardship of Botswana’s diamond resource by the Government and De Beers since independence in 1966 has transformed the country from one of the poorest nations in the world into a modern, upper middle-income country. This progress has been built largely on a diamond foundation, enabled by high standards of governance, political stability and the judicious investment of Botswana’s diamond wealth.”