Namdeb has unveiled a 176.29-carat natural diamond, the largest stone of its kind recovered at its Southern Coastal Mine at Oranjemund in the past two decades.
The diamond was recovered on 10 May and was officially unveiled in Windhoek on Thursday.
“This remarkable stone represents the largest diamond of its kind to be discovered at the mine in the past two decades,” president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said at the unveiling.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said the discovery comes at a challenging time for the global diamond industry, which is facing changing consumer preferences, competition from laboratory-grown diamonds and fluctuations in international markets.
She said Namibia should continue using its mineral wealth to generate jobs and revenue for essential public services, including education, healthcare, housing and infrastructure.
The president also called for Namibia to strengthen its participation in the international diamond value chain through cutting, polishing and jewellery manufacturing.
“May this discovery renew our commitment to ensuring that the wealth beneath our soil becomes a source of shared prosperity for all Namibians,” she said.
