Leading African Ministers To Take Part In Zim Conference

(IDEX Online News) – Leading African mines ministers have confirmed they will take part in the Zimbabwe Diamond Conference 2014 from November 6 to 7, say organizers of the event.

The conference, organized by Zimbabwe's Ministry of Mines and Mining Development in Harare, will focus on 'Completing Zimbabwe’s Diamond Potential for the Future'.

The officials include Ngoako Ramatlhodi, Minister of Mineral Resources of the Republic of South Africa; Isak Katali, Minister of Mines and Energy of the Republic of Namibia; Martin Kabwelulu Labilo, Minister of Mining of the Democratic Republic of Congo; and Bernardo Campos, from Angola, Vice Chair of the Kimberley Process.

According to industry analysts, Africa accounts for 61 percent of the world’s diamond production by value and 56 percent by volume. “In fact, six African producers account for 98 percent of African volume and 93 percent of African output value," said conference organizer Prof. Francis Gudyanga, Permanent Secretary of the Zimbabwe Ministry of Mines and Mining Development. “Most likely, all of these six countries will be actively represented at, or participating in, the Zimbabwe Diamond Conference 2014.

“The conference will enable in-depth discussion of specific African concerns. Most of the world’s alluvial mining output comes from the African continent. This type of mining is exceedingly labor intensive. The largest diamond mining company in the world, which operates mostly kimberlite operations, has a global workforce of some 12,000 workers (87 percent of these in Africa). However, the 15 African producers may have a million or so workers, most of these are diggers in the informal sectors. The enormous diamond industry challenges which Africa faces have never before been addressed in an African diamond conference," Gudyanga added.

Industry analyst Chaim Even-Zohar said, “Apart from the Marange areas, there are a handful of other areas where we know diamond mining has been, or still is, taking place. In the last decades, far more sophisticated exploration techniques have been developed, which have not yet really been employed in Zimbabwe. If major mining companies would seriously explore Zimbabwe’s diamond potential, this would undoubtedly yield some exciting surprises. The conference will provide an opportunity for Zimbabwe’s mining and exploration experts to share their knowledge with an international audience," added Even-Zohar, who will be moderating the conference.