African countries rely heavily on their diamond and oil exports for their income. Revenues from the export of rough diamonds have either helped countries develop or led to catastrophic events. The economic comparison between countries that sell rough diamonds can vary significantly. Some African countries aspire to economic independence while others have faced years of conflict and poverty. Economic and political oversight of rough diamonds compares differently across African countries. Two countries that are rich in rough diamond resources are Botswana and Angola. These two countries have taken two different economic paths. Botswana adopted democratic government and escaped civil war, while Angola suffered years of civil war. Although both countries sell the same resource, they face different economic futures. In 1967, Botswana became a democratic country independent from Great Britain. At that time, most of Botswana's income came from the agricultural sector. The government of Botswana was approached by a company called DeBeers in the early 1970s. DeBeers is a large company that oversees the production of rough diamond mines. DeBeers offered Botswana a “50/50 stake in all of the country’s diamond mines” (Taylor and Mokhawa 263). Botswana was one of the few countries in Africa that saw the economic growth potential of a joint venture with DeBeers. When DeBeers and Botswana formed their first partnership, it became a new company called Debswana. The first major discovery of joint partnership exploration took place in a town called Boteti. This is an area rich in rough diamonds which is now called the Orapa field. The diamond mine located here is home to the...... middle of paper ......Magardie, Khadija. "AIDS Warrior ~ Essay: AIDS in Angola – A Time Bomb? Wide Angle | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. May 28, 2003. Internet. April 18, 2011.Molomo, Mpho G. “Civil-Military Relations in the Developmental State of Botswana.” African Studies Quarterly. The Online Journal of African Studies, 2001.Web. April 18, 2011.Nocera, Joe. “Diamonds are forever in Botswana.” The New York Times.Nytimes.com, August 8, 2008. Web. April 12, 2011. Sherman, Jake H. “Profit vs. Peace: The Clandestine Diamond Economy of Angola. Journal of International Affairs53.2 (2000): 699. AcademicSearch completed. EBSCO. Internet. April 18, 2011. Taylor, Ian and Gladys Mokhawa. “Not forever: Botswana, conflict diamonds and the Bushmen.” African Affairs102.407 (2003): 261. Academic research completed. EBSCO. Internet. April 18. 2011.