adminClara Mawere Business Reporter
Antwerp World Diamond Centre says it is prepared to enter into a strategic partnership with the Zimbabwe Diamond Technology Centre to ensure value addition of the country’s diamonds.
The centre, which is under construction in Mt Hampden, has the capacity to house an ambitious 500 factories for the cutting and polishing of diamonds and the processing of other minerals for the jewellery industry.
Six of the factories are nearing completion at the centre and are expected to be operational by June and will create 1 200 jobs for cutters and polishers of diamonds, as each factory will house 200 people.
In during his visit to Zimbabwe last week, AWDC chief executive Mr Ari Epstein said Antwerp is ready to work with the centre to enhance the beneficiation of diamonds mined in Marange.
“The AWDC is aware that Zimbabwe is currently constructing its own diamond centre to establish a diamond trading hub.
“We welcome the initiative and we are prepared to be partners of such an initiative,” he said.
Mr Epstein said the AWDC, which is the world’s oldest diamond centre has been instrumental in the establishment of other diamond centres that have since made a mark on the globe.
“It is our goal that Zimbabwe will have to cut and polish its raw diamonds locally. The AWDC has assisted in the establishment of other centres globally.
“We have assisted India’s Surat Centre and China’s Shanghai Centre, hence it is also our key objective to do the same in Zimbabwe,” said Mr Epistein.
He said the AWDC was planning to set up a diamond cleaning and de-boiling institution in the country which will also be co-ordinating with the local diamond centre to enhance a skills transfer model.
In an interview yesterday, centre’s chairman Mr Lovemore Kurotwi said a number of investors have expressed interest to invest in the 500 factories.
He said they were prepared to work with Antwerp.
“We are getting enquiries from several companies from all over the world who are prepared to invest in the Centre given that we are moving with speed in the in the construction of our factories.
“We are prepared to welcome Antwerp on board as well as any other partner, as long as such a partnership will be beneficial to Zimbabwe,” he said.
The centre is one of the major beneficiation projects that is being undertaken in the country as it has the potential to create thousands of jobs and address liquidity challenges through value addition of diamonds.
A Diamond Exchange is also under construction at the centre in line with Government’s plans to sell diamonds locally instead of exporting them in their raw form to markets such as Antwerp and Dubai
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