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Diamond geyser: Lessons from Botswana on how to make the most of commodities
钻石喷泉：博茨瓦纳充分利用资源的经验
Africa's soil is studded with buried treasure. Half the world's diamonds are mined there. The largest producers of cobalt, manganese and uranium are all African countries.
非洲的土地上到处都是埋藏的宝藏。世界上一半的钻石都是在那里开采的。钴、锰和铀的最大生产国都是非洲国家。
Since 2000 more big petroleum discoveries have been made in sub-Saharan Africa than in any other region. Yet Africans are not wrong when they talk of a "resource curse".
自2000年以来，在撒哈拉以南的非洲地区发现的大型石油比其他任何地区都多。然而，当非洲人谈到"资源诅咒"时，他们也没有错。
The continent's political elite have squandered or stolen much of the bounty, often aided by unscrupulous private firms.
非洲大陆的政治精英们挥霍或窃取了大部分的赏金，而这些行为背后往往有无良私营公司的帮助。
The World Bank predicts that by 2030, 62% of the world's very poor people will live in resource-rich sub-Saharan countries, up from 12% in 2000. Resource-rich states are more likely to suffer dictatorship or civil war.
世界银行预测，到2030年，世界上62%的极度贫困人口将生活在资源丰富的撒哈拉以南国家，而2000年这一比例为12%。资源丰富的国家更有可能遭受独裁统治或内战。
Managing resources better is crucial to the future of Africa. The world is hungry for its hydrocarbons. Its minerals are needed for cleaner energy. Sadly African politicians risk wasting the moment.
更好地管理资源对非洲的未来至关重要。世界对碳氢化合物如饥似渴。它的矿产品是清洁能源所必需的。遗憾的是，非洲的政客们正冒着浪费时机的风险。
At independence in 1966 Botswana was one of the poorest countries in the world. It sold beef but little else. It was home to just 22 university graduates.
1966年独立时，博茨瓦纳是世界上最贫穷的国家之一。它只卖牛肉。这里只有22名大学毕业生。
Over the next four decades its economic-growth rate rivalled that of China, Singapore and South Korea; today it is one of the richest countries in Africa.
在接下来的40年里，它的经济增长率与中国、新加坡和韩国不相上下；今天，它是非洲最富有的国家之一。
A necessary condition for its rise was the discovery in 1967 of diamonds by De Beers, a mining giant. But that was not sufficient: the transformation of Botswana also required the right policies.
1967年，矿业巨头戴比尔斯发现了钻石，这是其崛起的必要条件。但这还不够：博茨瓦纳的改革还需要正确的政策。
Several stand out. Botswana has long offered secure property rights and a stable, clear tax regime. Today De Beers reckons that Botswana keeps four-fifths of the revenues from Debswana, their joint mining venture, through taxes, royalties and dividends.
有几个政策很突出。博茨瓦纳长期以来一直提供有保障的产权和稳定、明确的税收制度。如今，戴比尔斯估计博茨瓦纳通过税收、土地使用费和股息，从他们的合资矿业企业德比斯瓦纳获得了五分之四的收入。
Elsewhere in Africa firms are reluctant to invest huge sums when mines can be seized or tax rates are volatile. Neighbouring South Africa is among the world's ten least attractive countries for investors in mines, according to the Fraser Institute, a think-tank.
在非洲其他地方，当矿山有可能被查封或税率不稳定时，企业就不愿投入巨额资金。据智库弗雷泽研究所称，其邻国南非是世界上对矿业投资者最不具吸引力的十个国家之一。
