Diamantino Azevedo, who oversees mineral resources, oil and gas, highlighted, during a presentation on the diamond industry held this Thursday in Luanda, that this change “was not always well understood, including by Endiama itself” (state-owned diamond company).
According to the minister, the exit of the Russian company, which has been subject to international sanctions since the invasion of Ukraine, required “hard work” on the part of the State to safeguard national interests and maintain stability in the sector.
“We found a solution that satisfied all parties involved – the previous partner, the current partner and ourselves”, he assured, highlighting that the loss of value of the Catoca and Luele mines was detrimental to all parties.
“Life is like that, life is made up of moments, it is made up of adaptations, but above all the interests of Angola and Angolans”, stressed the official.
Diamantino Azevedo highlighted the need to value natural diamonds in response to the growing competition from synthetic diamonds, stating that, at this time, the most important thing “is to prove the value of natural diamonds”.
“When there is a gray area, someone will always appear to take advantage (...). We have to be the ones to value natural diamonds”, he stressed.
The minister also highlighted that the sector’s priority should not be solely on production, but on the capacity for distribution and sales, since “the business is not about producing, it is about selling”, which has led to several diplomatic initiatives to strengthen Angola’s image in the international market, including contacts with certifiers, diamond exchanges and jewelry houses such as Tiffany.
Another area of action by the Government, he pointed out, has been the strengthening of the local diamond cutting industry, especially since the creation of the Saurimo hub (Lunda Sul), and a new hub is already being planned in Dundo (Lunda Norte).
Among the challenges that persist, he pointed out artisanal and illegal mining, which he opposes because he believes it does not benefit the miners.
The minister stated that the semi-industrial mining regime was created as an alternative, but admitted that the expected results have not yet been achieved.
“We will work harder in this regard,” he promised, also asking for greater involvement from the communities.
“We have to involve the communities more. And, essentially, do more for those communities that are adjacent to the projects, the rural communities, the municipalities and provinces where we are located,” he emphasized.
