The local beneficiation of Namibia’s diamonds remained a top priority for government and industry stakeholders, said Namibia diamond commissioner Kennedy Hamutenya.

Speaking to Mining Weekly from the International Diamond Conference 2015, which was held in Windhoek, Namibia, last week, he said the country had policies and legislation in place to promote the beneficiation of mineral resources locally, in line with the country’s Vision 2030 and its Fourth National Development Plan.

“In Namibia, we have created jobs for up to 2 000 people in the diamond industry in the past; however, like in South Africa, we recently lost a lot of jobs in the sector. Currently, the diamond processing industry only employs 700 people in the country,” noted Hamutenya.

He said the shrinking industry was initially the result of supply shortages but it was now predominantly attributable to low diamond prices.

“This is why this conference is very important, as it has brought together all the industry stakeholders from across the spectrum,” Hamutenya highlighted.

He stressed that there was an “urgent” need to preserve Namibia’s diamond industry and retain the services of people that had scarce skill sets, such as cutting and polishing, to ensure the long-term sustainability of the sector in the country.

“It is also important that we expand the beneficiation process to ensure jewellery manufacturing and diamond grinding centres are established locally. These will assist in creating many potential job opportunities for Namibians,” Hamutenya stated.

He said he was “very happy” with the discussions that had taken place during the conference, as they had provided delegates with meaningful insights into the state of the diamond sector in Namibia and globally.

Speakers at the conference included Zimbabwe’s Mines and Mining Development Minister, Walter Chidakwa, Namibia Diamond Trading Company CEO Shihaleni Ndjaba, Diamond Manufacturers Association of Namibia president Burhan Seber and Chamber of Mines of Namibia president Kombadayedu Kapwanga,besides others.

The Namibia government has a 50:50 joint venture (JV) partnership with De Beers Group, the Namdeb Diamond Corporation.

The JV partners have, together, implemented a long-term economic development plan that aims to build a sustainable national gem-cutting industry.