De Beers Group will help Angola increase its diamond production, grow alluvial diamond mining, and enhance social development opportunities.
This is part of the MoU De Beers signed Tuesday with Endiama and Sodiam on the sidelines of the ongoing Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town.
The MoU also involves Angola’s National Mineral Resource Agency.
Endiama is Angola’s state-owned diamond company, while Sodiam is Angola’s state-owned diamond trading company.
The MoU extends De Beers Group’s partnership with Angola following the signing of two Mineral Investment Contracts (MICs) in 2022 for licence areas in north-eastern Angola, where exploration activities are underway.
It identifies critical areas where the parties agree to collaborate to consider shared initiatives.
These include reviewing several kimberlite deposits to reassess their economic attractiveness by applying new De Beers technologies and promoting the transparency and traceability of diamond production.
In also includes identifying opportunities to build local community capacity by leveraging De Beers Group’s Building Forever sustainability framework.
De Beers CEO Al Cook said Angola continues to set an example as a country that has reformed its prospects through enhanced transparency, adoption of internationally recognised best practices and a business-friendly investment environment.
“I’m delighted to strengthen our partnership with Angola and collaborate with the Government and the country’s diamond sector for the benefit of its people,” Cook said.
He added that returning to Angola in 2022 was a significant step for De Beers.
“We see a bright future in the country. I look forward to continuing to work with our partners in Angola through harnessing our collective expertise and ambition to support a thriving diamond sector,” Cook further said.
Endiama CEO Ganga Júnior said: “This is a strategic partnership to increase diamond production in Angola to contribute towards the socio-economic development of our country.”
