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Diamond-rich Botswana says victimised by success

01 Nov 2006 07:17:04 GMT
Source: Reuters

VICTORIA, Seychelles Nov 1 (Reuters) - Diamond-rich Botswana was being victimised by its success, while international aid was directed at the world's poorest countries, the country's President Festus Mogae said.

"We are being excluded from a lot of concessional loans and grants based on our per capita income," Mogae told journalists at Seychelles International Airport late on Tuesday.

"We belong to the so-called middle-income developing countries who increasingly feel we are being victimised for the moderate success we have made," he said.

The presence of primary commodities has often been a curse on the African continent, where parties fight over the wealth.

Diamonds generate about a third of Botswana's gross domestic product, which has grown an average 8 percent a year in the past two decades, making the southern African country the continent's best-performing economy and a bastion of regional stability.

However, with one of the world's highest AIDS infection rates, weak infrastructure, and diamond production that is set to decline from 2015, the country faces important challenges.

The Botswanan leader and his entourage were en route to Beijing for the China-Africa summit, where he was expected to discuss issues of trade, aid, and investment.

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Last updated:Wed Nov 1 07:19:43 2006