GIA Holds Rough Diamond Evaluation Course in Cote d'Ivoire

(IDEX Online) – As part of its efforts to increase its beneficiation initiatives, the GIA recently launched a Rough Diamond Evaluation course in French in Côte d'Ivoire.

The class, which was held in the main city of Abidjan, included six government officials from the Ministry of Mines, Customs and the Ivorian mining development organization, SODEMI, as well as two representatives of artisanal mining cooperatives and one field staffer from the Property Rights and Artisanal Diamond Development II project of the US Agency for International Development.

The graduation ceremony was attended by Jean Claude Brou, the minister of Mines and Industry, and Terence P. McCulley, the US Ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire.

“The rough diamond course brings practical and relevant education to this gem producing region,” said Brad Brooks-Rubin, GIA’s global director of development and beneficiation. “By working with Ivorian officials and others in the industry, we can directly support artisanal miners and the development of the diamond sector as a whole. This is an essential step for a country that is now working hard to re-establish and grow the industry following its recent integration into the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme.”

Since 2008, GIA has expanded its activities and presence in sub-Saharan Africa, opening two full-time laboratories and offering classes in Gaborone, Botswana and Johannesburg, South Africa.