Mozambique seeks Kimberley Process certification to export newly-found diamond wealth

GABORONE – The Mozambican government is seeking clearance to export its newly-found diamonds from the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) amid reports that up to 34
international mining companies have joined the country’s diamond exploration rush.

Top Mozambican mines ministry official Ordelio De Sousa told diamond news portal “Rough and Polished” that the government has licenced several companies to do diamond exploration following the discovery of vast diamond resources in the Gaza province last month.

De Sousa said the country had received Angolan help towards the formalisation of the new diamond mining industry, which includes both alluvial and underground mineralisation. He said KPCS certification was needed to allow the companies which had recovered diamonds to sell them to the global market.

“In the southern zone, they have found diamonds of good quality. I have seen some of the diamonds found in this region and in the north, some companies have found kimberlites, but they are yet to prove if they were economical to mine,” said De Sousa.

He said the government had set up supervisory agency to regulate the diamond business and established a local Kimberley Process Management Unit. Local mining officials had visited Belgium, Namibia and Angola for training on how to regularise and secure the new diamond trading business.

However, he said the country could not declare the size of the diamond resource estimate for security reasons.