Last year, Botswana’s outgoing President Mokgweetsi Masisi made a significant deal with De Beers, one of the largest diamond companies in the world. This agreement would gradually increase Botswana’s share of diamonds from the Debswana joint venture, which is a partnership between the country and De Beers, to 50% over the next ten years. This sounds promising, but there's a catch: the deal hasn’t been signed yet!

Enter Duma Boko, Botswana’s newly inaugurated president. He’s stepping into...