Zimbabwe Diamond Conference 2014 to focus on 'Completing Zimbabwe’s Diamond Potential for the Future'

The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development of Zimbabwe is hosting the Zimbabwe Diamond Conference 2014, with a focus on “Completing Zimbabwe’s Diamond Potential for the Future.” The event is slated in Harare on November 6 and 7, 2014, to which several African mines ministers have confirmed their presence, including: Ngoako Ramatlhodi, the Minister of Mineral Resources of the Republic of South Africa; Isak Katali, the Minister of Mines and Energy of the Republic of Namibia; Martin Kabwelulu Labilo, the Minister of Mining of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Bernardo Campos, the vice chair of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme.

Conference organizer Francis Gudyanga, the permanent secretary of the Zimbabwe Ministry of Mines and Mining Development said, “six African producers account for 98 percent of African volume and 93 percent of African output value. Most likely, all of these six countries will be actively represented at, or participating in, the Zimbabwe Diamond Conference 2014.”

He added that the conference would be an opportunity for “in-depth discussion of specific African concerns.” He stated, that Africa lends to maximum of the world’s alluvial mining output, and the mining is exceedingly labor intensive. He added that ‘the largest diamond mining company in the world, which operates mostly kimberlite operations, has a global workforce of some 12,000 workers (87 percent of them in Africa). However, the 15 African producers may have a million or so workers, most of these are diggers in the informal sectors.’ The challenges faced by Africa in its diamond industry have never before been addressed in an African diamond conference, he noted.

“Apart from the Marange areas, there are a handful of other areas where we know diamond mining has been, or still is, taking place. In the last decades, far more sophisticated exploration techniques have been developed, which have not yet really been employed in Zimbabwe. If major mining companies would seriously explore Zimbabwe’s diamond potential, this will undoubtedly yield some exciting surprises,” predicted industry analyst Even-Zohar who will be moderating the conference. “The conference will provide an opportunity for Zimbabwe’s mining and exploration experts to share their knowledge with an international audience.”

Registration for the conference is open.