According to a statement from the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, to which VerAngola had access, the school – built by Endiama, as part of its social responsibility – has 15 classrooms "with capacity for 2025 students distributed across three shifts ", having cost 2.3 million dollars.
Regarding the school, Ganga Júnior, president of the Board of Directors (PCA) of Endiama, mentioned in the note, said they were "aware that there are many difficulties", being "committed" and "seeking to minimize some".
The official also said he was aware that there are "more than 10,000 children outside of normal schools in Lunda Sul and other overcrowded schools", leading him to commit to "helping to minimize the situation".
The cutting factory had an investment of around 5.5 million dollars. "The ROBUST DIAM diamond cutting factory, LDA. is owned by ROBUST DIASTAR DMCC – 51 percent and Endiama – 49 percent. The global investment is 5.5 million dollars and has an installed capacity of 96 thousand carats per year and a monthly average of 8 thousand carats", reads the statement.
The construction of the manufacturing unit, adds the statement, created 200 jobs, with "a turnover of between 80 and 100 million dollars expected in the first year of activity".
Budgeted at 2.7 million dollars, the school lunch processing unit will, in the first phase, produce 35 thousand units of school meals daily.
"Minister Diamantino Azevedo also inaugurated a soy milk and bread (school lunch) processing unit, as part of the social responsibility efforts of Sociedade Mineira de Catoca. The factory will, in the first phase, produce 35 thousand units of school lunches per day, which can reach 60 thousand, which is its installed capacity", reads the statement.
The main beneficiaries of the meals manufactured at the unit, which employed 52 young people, will be Saurimo schools, reception centers, religious institutions, among others of a social nature, the note states.
Among other aspects, when speaking on the occasion, Diamantino Azevedo reiterated the need to create the Diamond Exchange, aiming to boost the diamond subsector market, as well as support the diversification of the country's economy.
Furthermore, among the new developments he indicated the construction of a Diamond Development Pole in Lunda Sul, having also invited investors to embrace the business opportunity and invest in diamond cutting manufacturing units, as well as in the training of young people and the materialization of their first employment, writes Angop.
Diamantino Azevedo considered that last year there was "a poor performance of the global diamond industry", requiring attention to changes in order to work "to guarantee authenticity and continue to add value to national diamonds".
"In 2023, there was a poor performance in the global diamond industry, so we must be aware of these changes and work to ensure authenticity and continue to add value to rough and polished national diamonds," he said, adding that in the face of this scenario, the guardianship advanced with the provisional implementation of measures to encourage diamond cutting in the country.
"Our objective is to increase the quantity of diamonds cut in our country and guarantee their quality, so that we can compete effectively at a regional level and also begin to make a name for ourselves in the international market", he pointed out, quoted by Angop.
It should be noted that Ganga Júnior, PCA of Endiama, Daniel Neto, governor of Lunda Sul, Pacheco Francisco, Secretary of State for Education, among others, were also present at the inauguration ceremony.
