The National Mineral Resources Agency (ANRN), the Angolan diamond companies Endiama and Sodiam today signed a Strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the multinational De Beers to promote Angola’s diamond sector, the organisations announced.
The agreement prioritises “increasing diamond production, growing alluvial diamond mining and improving social development opportunities for the benefit of Angolan citizens,” the statement sent to Lusa added.
In the document, these entities state that the memorandum covers four main areas, starting with “the review of a series of existing kimberlite deposits to reassess their economic attractiveness through the potential application of new technologies, and the identification of opportunities to grow the alluvial diamond mining sector in Angola, considering the application of De Beers’ solutions and learnings in promoting the transparency and traceability of diamond production in this sector”.
In addition, it also aims to implement “joint work to promote Angolan diamonds and an environment that will allow all parts of the diamond value chain to be established or strengthened in Angola; and to identify opportunities to develop the capacity of the local community to adopt improved approaches to sustainability and social development, taking advantage of the De Beers Group’s Building Forever sustainability framework wherever possible”.
Quoted in the statement, the chairman of De Beers’ executive board, Al Cook, said that “Angola continues to set an example as a country that has reformed its outlook through greater transparency, the adoption of internationally recognised best practices and a business-friendly investment environment”.
Endiama’s chairmans, Ganga Júnior, said that “this is a strategic partnership with the aim of increasing diamond production in Angola and contributing to the socio-economic development of our country”.
The signing took place on the sidelines of the Mining Indaba 2024 business forum in Cape Town, South Africa, and comes after two mineral investment contracts in 2022 for licensed areas in north-east Angola, where exploration activities are underway, the statement added.
Lusa
