Diamond indaba held

THE first international diamond conference was held in Windhoek yesterday, drawing together major diamond industry players to discuss issues of diamond development in Namibia and southern Africa, in particular Botswana, South Africa and Angola.

The one-day conference, dubbed the International Diamond Omugongo, was held under the theme ‘Diamonds for Development’ – a term which was coined to counter the infamous ‘conflict diamonds’. The idea for a conference was first thought of in May after the Diamond Board of Namibia realised there was a need for a meeting with the view to openly and frankly discuss the prospects of the diamond industry in southern Africa.The conference also focused on how to deal with issues such as beneficiation, jewellery manufacturing in producer countries, indigenous ownership in the industry through genuine empowerment and how countries could participate at all levels of the diamond pipeline.Global leaders and representatives from the local diamond industry, public and private sectors, De Beers, the Leviev Group of Companies, the Lazar Kaplan International including economists and businesspeople were among those who attended the indaba to review the diamond industry.Conference facilitator Chaim Even-Zohar of Tacy Ltd said during his overview presentation that the southern African diamond-producing countries of Namibia, Botswana and South Africa had proved that the gems could be used for good.He said one of the issues to be discussed at the conference was that producer countries now sought to become true stakeholders and wanted to see more value addition to the rough diamonds.Addressing the gathering on behalf of his Minister, the Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy, Henock ya Kasita, said as an industry that contributes significantly to Namibia’s economy, it was imperative that diamonds made a tangible contribution to improving the standard of living of Namibians.He said citizens of diamond-producing countries were putting pressure on their Governments to do more and secure their participation in diamond industries.”Concerns are specifically raised on rough diamonds that are being taken out from these countries to other countries and in this way no job opportunities and much needed skills are left for them.More cutting and polishing factories should be established and the exporting of rough diamonds be minimised to give the existing cutting and polishing factories a chance to sustain themselves and in so doing, to keep the jobs of those employed”.This issue has been a thorn in the side of the Namibian Government, which has been calling for value addition to increase the contribution to the local economy.Deputy Finance Minister Tjikero Tweya said this was one of the issues to be discussed when the Government and De Beers meet in two weeks’ time for a review of their joint venture, Namdeb.A review of the contract is done every five years.Namdeb General Manager Rob Smart said in his presentation that doing more with the benefits derived from diamonds was a challenge that his company could handle.Even-Zohar called on Namibia to look beyond rough diamonds and focus its attention on producing world-class jewellery, and also do diamond tourism to get more benefits from the resource.He also urged governments of producer countries to recognise the international context.Other speakers included De Beers Managing Director designate Gareth Penny, Lev Leviev, President and Chairman of the Leviev Group of Companies, and Maurice Templesman of Lazar Kaplan International.The idea for a conference was first thought of in May after the Diamond Board of Namibia realised there was a need for a meeting with the view to openly and frankly discuss the prospects of the diamond industry in southern Africa.The conference also focused on how to deal with issues such as beneficiation, jewellery manufacturing in producer countries, indigenous ownership in the industry through genuine empowerment and how countries could participate at all levels of the diamond pipeline.Global leaders and representatives from the local diamond industry, public and private sectors, De Beers, the Leviev Group of Companies, the Lazar Kaplan International including economists and businesspeople were among those who attended the indaba to review the diamond industry.Conference facilitator Chaim Even-Zohar of Tacy Ltd said during his overview presentation that the southern African diamond-producing countries of Namibia, Botswana and South Africa had proved that the gems could be used for good. He said one of the issues to be discussed at the conference was that producer countries now sought to become true stakeholders and wanted to see more value addition to the rough diamonds.Addressing the gathering on behalf of his Minister, the Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy, Henock ya Kasita, said as an industry that contributes significantly to Namibia’s economy, it was imperative that diamonds made a tangible contribution to improving the standard of living of Namibians.He said citizens of diamond-producing countries were putting pressure on their Governments to do more and secure their participation in diamond industries.”Concerns are specifically raised on rough diamonds that are being taken out from these countries to other countries and in this way no job opportunities and much needed skills are left for them.More cutting and polishing factories should be established and the exporting of rough diamonds be minimised to give the existing cutting and polishing factories a chance to sustain themselves and in so doing, to keep the jobs of those employed”.This issue has been a thorn in the side of the Namibian Government, which has been calling for value addition to increase the contribution to the local economy.Deputy Finance Minister Tjikero Tweya said this was one of the issues to be discussed when the Government and De Beers meet in two weeks’ time for a review of their joint venture, Namdeb.A review of the contract is done every five years.Namdeb General Manager Rob Smart said in his presentation that doing more with the benefits derived from diamonds was a challenge that his company could handle.Even-Zohar called on Namibia to look beyond rough diamonds and focus its attention on producing world-class jewellery, and also do diamond tourism to get more benefits from the resource.He also urged governments of producer countries to recognise the international context.Other speakers included De Beers Managing Director designate Gareth Penny, Lev Leviev, President and Chairman of the Leviev Group of Companies, and Maurice Templesman of Lazar Kaplan International.