Online Reporter
Mukudzei Chingwere in Surat, India
Zimbabwe’s diamond cutting and polishing sub-sector is set for a huge boost following a game-changing agreement with a leading global Indian concern, Harry Krishna Exports.
Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) chief executive, Dr Douglas Zimbango, announced the cooperation agreement that will see at least 50 Zimbabweans undergoing training by the Indian company.
Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga who is here for the Africa Conclave on India-Africa Partnership, which is organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry met chairman of the Indian concern and impressed on his hosts Zimbabwe’s need in the area of diamond value addition.
It also comes as President Mnangagwa has primed Government and the local industry to boost value addition in all areas of production as part of enablers towards rapid economic growth.
In separate presentations at leading diamond processing companies, ShreeRam Krishna Diamonds and Harry Krishna Exports, VP Chiwenga highlighted Zimbabwe’s potential as a hub for diamond production and urged Indian investors to explore opportunities in the country.
“We were particularly impressed by your investment in employee welfare, sustainability and community development. These values resonate deeply with our national vision,” said VP Chiwenga after touring ShreeRam Krishna Diamonds.
“As we enter a new era of economic openness, our Government is prioritising beneficiation and value addition. We believe that we should not only mine diamonds in Zimbabwe, but also transform them, thereby creating jobs, industries and opportunities for our people. Something, which I witnessed here.
“We see immense potential for partnership in this context. The expertise and experience of ShreeRam Krishna Diamonds could play a transformative role in assisting Zimbabwe in developing its own cutting and polishing capacity.
“We are eager to explore joint ventures, training programmes, and technology transfer initiatives that would enable us to learn from your success and adapt these strategies to our local context.
“We recognise opportunities for collaboration in certification, traceability, and ethical sourcing; areas in which ShreeRam Krishna Diamonds has set global standards. These aspects are critical as Zimbabwe positions itself as a responsible and competitive player in the international diamond market.
“We invite you to consider Zimbabwe not only as a source of raw materials, but as a strategic partner in building a sustainable and inclusive diamond value chain,” said VP Chiwenga.
Dr Zimbango confirmed training scholarship expressing excitement about the partnership.
He said the training programme is a golden opportunity for Zimbabwe as it will not only enhance their skills, but also empower them to contribute more to the economy.
“We have visited Gujarat specifically to look at how best we can add value to our diamonds, we have realised that we can have direct access to the market because 99 percent of our diamonds end up in India, but with third parties,” said Dr Zimbango.
“In terms of technology we have also noticed that they are way ahead, especially in diamond cutting and polishing where they are now using water technology as opposed to our laser based technology which can damage diamonds. So we hope to partner them for direct access and also for diamond cutting and polishing.
“Harry Krishna offered us scholarships of about 50 students to come and learn how to cut and polish. So this is an opportunity for the cutting and polishing sector in Zimbabwe to gain first class knowledge.”
A team will be sent to India soon for training. This team is expected to return home and train other Zimbabweans.
“The Vice President has been offered that opportunity so we will formalise that and it should happen within the next three months,” he said.
“We are looking at a Tripartite arrangement, we have Aurex in Zimbabwe that cuts and polishes diamonds, but they are using old technology. So the agreement would be between us as producers, Aurex as the cutting agent and the Indian company as the technical advisor,” said Dr Zimbango.
The collaboration with Harry Krishna Exports is expected to elevate local expertise and enhance the quality of Zimbabwean diamonds.
