City to host diamond seminar

Charity Ruzvidzo Business Reporter
BULAWAYO will next week host a diamond beneficiation seminar meant to create platforms for local companies to benefit from economic empowerment programmes presented by value addition and beneficiation. The seminar is being organised by the Botswana-based Afrimond Diamond and Jewellery Institute.

Kwanele Hlabangana, a business consultant and country representative of Afrimond Diamond and Jewellery Institute, said the seminar would expose those interested in the mining sector to the current state of the diamond industry.

“This seminar is the first of its kind in Bulawayo which is targeted at exposing Zimbabwean companies, Small Medium and Macro Enterprises (SMMEs), emerging diamond entrepreneurs, mining enthusiasts, academics and women in business to the current state of the diamond industry and create a networking platform for interested downstream industries” he said.

Hlabangana said the forthcoming event, which would be held on December 19, would be graced by officials from the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development.

He said another objective of the seminar was to discuss skills development in Zimbabwe’s diamond industry.

“We will cover the economic opportunities brought by the discovery of diamonds in Zimbabwe both diamond specific and spin-offs. Skill development and the diamond regulation system will also be tackled.

“The seminar will also conduct discussions on how interested delegates can access information relating to the acquisition of diamond licences and broader understanding of the global diamond industry,” said Hlabangana.

He added that delegates attending the seminar would be taken through the lucrative diamond industry value chain.

“We will provide our delegates with key technical information on how to set up vibrant diamond industries in the areas of diamond cutting and polishing, jewellery manufacturing, marketing and retail,” Hlabangana said.

There has been heightened interest in the country’s mining sector after the discovery of diamonds in Chiadzwa, Manicaland province, a few years ago.

The exploitation of the mineral, given the establishment of the local diamond auction centres in Harare, is expected to increase revenue to the fiscus.

Last year, Zimbabwe’s diamond revenues reached $466,9 million.