In a statement quoted by Angop, the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, explained that the project, which is an initiative of Sodiam and the Indian company KGK, is being implemented in an area of over 305,000 square kilometers north of the city of Saurimo.
The plant will create new jobs for the young people of that area as well as help to boost the diamond sector and boost the country's economy.
The pole will consist of three areas: commercial, industrial and a hybrid plant. The commercial area, which will be of public access, will have stores, restaurants, banks, offices, convention centers and training, among others.
The industrial area, with restricted access, will be composed of 26 lots of different sizes to implement factories linked to the mining and diamond sector.
As for the plant, it will be composed of solar and thermal energy and will serve to make the project independent in terms of energy reception.
The venture will also have a Sodiam Diamond Evaluation and Lapidation Fomration Center, which will replace the Provisional Diamond Evaluation and Lapidation Training Center, and will start operating in Saurimo.
It was also planned to start, in April of this year, a set of trainings at the Centro Provisório de Formação e Avaliação e Lapidação de Diamantes, but due to the pandemic, the courses were also postponed.
However, Sodiam opened this Monday, December 28, the professional diamond cutting course at the Provisional Diamond Evaluation and Cutting Training Center in Lunda Sul province.
In a statement sent to VerAngola, the company explains that during the next three months, Sodiam will give diamond cutting training to 35 young Angolans from Lunda Sul.
The 35 young people, who are part of a total of 50 candidates selected in a public tender held in cooperation with the National Institute for Employment and Professional Training (INEFOP), will be the first to be employed at the country's largest diamond cutting plant. The remaining 15 candidates will receive training in India.
The training aims to "supply the shortage of Angolan workers trained in diamond evaluation and cutting, to alleviate the effort of the factories to be erected" in the pole in "recruiting Angolan staff with skills in dealing with diamond polishing and ensuring the employability of local labor, thus empowering young people born in the regions surrounding the mining areas," the note indicates.
