Back in 1966, Botswana had just 22 university graduates in the whole country. Fast forward to today, and every child receives free primary and secondary education, with universal healthcare available to all citizens.

This is the powerful story of how one African country found diamonds—and used them not for greed, but for greatness.

While many resource-rich nations fell into poverty and corruption, Botswana made a bold move: they formed an equal partnership with De Beers and reinvested the diamond wealth directly into their people. The impact has been remarkable.

They transformed their literacy rate from near zero to over 90% among adults. Education through secondary school is guaranteed and free, and the government even funds scholarships for top students to study abroad. With diamond revenue, they’ve built more than 300 schools and established a healthcare system that ensures most people live within 15 kilometers of a medical facility.

And it gets even more inspiring—Botswana was the first mining country in the world to offer free HIV treatment to workers, and they later extended it to the entire population.

Today, diamonds fund education, healthcare, scholarships, and national infrastructure. While other countries with similar resources face hardship, Botswana shows what’s possible when leaders put people before profit.

Just imagine the kind of world we’d live in if every resource-rich country followed Botswana’s path.