Will collaborate on opportunities to increase diamond production, support alluvial mining sector and enhance social development

De Beers Group, Angola’s National Mineral Resource Agency, Angola’s state-owned diamond company, Endiama, and Angola’s state-owned diamond trading company, Sodiam, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance Angola’s diamond sector with a focus on increasing diamond production, supporting the growth of alluvial diamond mining and enhancing social development opportunities for the benefit of Angola’s citizens.

The signing took place at the Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa. The MoU extends De Beers Group’s partnership with Angola following the signing of two Mineral Investment Contracts (MICs) in 2022 for licence areas in north-eastern Angola where exploration activities are now under way.

It sets out key areas where the parties agree to work together to consider shared initiatives. These include reviewing a number of kimberlite deposits to reassess their economic attractiveness through the application of new De Beers technologies, promoting the transparency and traceability of diamond production, and identifying opportunities to build local community capacity by leveraging De Beers Group’s Building Forever sustainability framework.

Al Cook, CEO, De Beers Group, said: “I’m delighted to strengthen our partnership with Angola and to collaborate with Government, Endiama and Sodiam to further develop the country’s diamond sector for the benefit of its people. Angola continues to set an example as a country that has reformed its prospects through enhanced transparency, adoption of internationally recognised best practices and a business-friendly investment environment. Returning to Angola in 2022 was a significant step for De Beers and we see a bright future in the country. I look forward to continuing to work with our partners in Angola through harnessing our collective expertise and ambition to support a thriving diamond sector.”

Ganga Júnior, CEO, ENDIAMA, said: “This is a strategic partnership with the objective of increasing diamond production in Angola to contribute towards the socio-economic development of our country.”