Namibia looking at JVs with Thailand

The Namibian Ambassador Neville M. Gertze urged Thailand to show more interest in Namibia’s diamond and gem cutting, mining and supplies of these raw materials. Gertz recently met up with Thai Deputy Prime Minister Mingkwan Sangsuwan in Thailand, reports The Bangkok Post.

According to Sangsuwan, Thailand is keen on exploring the supply of raw materials from Namibia. The Thai Ministry of Commerce is likely to visit Namibia and explore business opportunities there. The Namibian government is looking at future joint ventures with Thailand for its diamond and gem cutting industry, which will help Thailand, cut operating costs.

As a boost, the Namibian government has in the past three years, granted 50 concessions to the private sector to run diamond mines that will have the capacity to produce 100,000 carats of diamonds a month. In addition to diamonds, Namibia also has rich resources of gems such as tourmaline, amethyst, topaz, red quartz and more.