Namibia retains focus on securing diamond value-add locally

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The local beneficiation of Namibia’s diamonds remained a top priority for government and industry stakeholders, Namibia Diamond Commissioner Kennedy Hamutenya said on Tuesday.

Speaking to Mining Weekly Online from the International Diamond Conference 2015, which is being held in Windhoek, Namibia, he said the country had policies and legislation in place to promote the beneficiation of mineral resources locally in line with the country’s Vision 2030 and its Fourth National Development Plan.

“In Namibia, we have created jobs for up to 2 000 people in the diamond industry in the past; however, like in South Africa, we have recently lost a lot of jobs in the sector. Currently, the diamond processing industry only employs 700 people in the country,” noted Hamutenya. 

He said the shrinking industry was initially the result of supply shortages but it was now predominantly attributable to low diamond prices.

“This is why this conference is very important, as it has brought together all the industry stakeholders from across the spectrum,” Hamutenya highlighted.

He stressed that there was an “urgent” need to preserve Namibia’s diamond industry and retain the services of people that had scarce skills sets, such as cutting and polishing, to ensure the long-term sustainability of the sector in the country.

“It is also important that we expand the beneficiation process to ensure jewellery manufacturing and diamond grinding centres are established locally. These will assist in creating many potential job opportunities for Namibians,” Hamutenya stated.

He said he was “very happy” with the discussions that had taken place during the conference, as they had provided delegates with meaningful insights into the state of the diamond sector in Namibia and globally.

Speakers at the conference included Zimbabwe’s Mines and Mining Development Minister Walter Chidakwa, Namibia Diamond Trading Company CEO Shihaleni Ndjaba, Diamond Manufacturers Association of Namibia president Burhan Seber and Chamber of Mines of Namibia president Kombadayedu Kapwanga, besides others.

NAMIBIA MINING
The Namibian government has a 50:50 joint venture (JV) partnership with De Beers Group, the Namdeb Diamond Corporation.

The JV partners have, together, implemented a long-term economic development plan that aims to build a sustainable national gem-cutting industry.

“This will ensure the sustainability of an industry that accounts for about 30% of Namibia’s yearly export revenue, bringing funds into the country to improve infrastructure, childhood education and healthcare in local communities,” stated the Diamond Board of Namibia.

The board highlighted that, to protect the marine ecology and the coastal areas in which most of Namibia’s diamonds are found, international environmental standards were “strictly followed” in diamond mining activities.

It added that Namibia’s “comprehensive” environmental management plan had been independently verified as ISO 14001:2015-compliant, thereby ensuring long-term ecological and economical sustainability of mining areas.

“Namibia’s Atlantic coast area holds an estimated 80-million carats of gems and could be mined beyond 2050,” Hamutenya concluded.