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Harare Bureau
The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development will host the second Zimbabwe Diamond Conference later this year with Minister Walter Chidhakwa expected to officiate at the event.
The conference will be held from November 6 to 7 in Harare.
Dignitaries from leading African diamond producing countries and delegates from world leading diamond traders, manufacturers, financiers and jewellers will come together during the conference.
Zimbabwe is currently the third largest diamond producing nation in the world in amount of carats.
According to the Kimberley Process report, Zimbabwe produced 12,060,161.70 carats in 2012 with a value of about $644 million.
The government is currently in the process of optimising its revenues from diamond sales by organising different tenders.
In December 2013, the first Zimbabwean rough diamond tender in Antwerp achieved $10,5 million from the sale of 279,723 carats.
A second Antwerp tender in February 2014 brought in $7 million from 959,931 carats. In March 2014, a diamond tender in Dubai raised $29,3 million from the sale of 380,626.24 carats.
Mines and Mining Development Permanent Secretary Professor Francis Gudyanga said the nation’s diamond industry has made a lot of progress since the discovery of the precious gem in Manicaland.
“Since being accepted again as a full member of the KPCS in 2011, Zimbabwe made a lot of progress in the diamond industry.
“By organising this conference, we would like to highlight these accomplishments. Zimbabwe has found its place again in the Industry,” said Professor Gudyanga.
The country whose diamond industry is still developing is using this platform to market the sector as well as to correct the misconceptions around the Marange diamonds after years of unjustified vilification at the hands of the Western media and some non-governmental organisations.
derick.khumalo