Angola is recognised as one of the most promising regions globally for discovering new natural diamonds.
Already Africa’s third largest diamond producer, the country has yet to fully explore its diamond-rich territories. Together with the Angolan Government, we are exploring the significant opportunities the country offers for diamond production growth.
Strategic partnership with the Angolan government
In February 2024, De Beers signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Angolan Government: further cementing our partnership to bolster the growth of Angola’s diamond industry, as well as boosting the reputation of natural diamonds.
We have committed to supporting Angolan artisanal miners via GemFair, a programme that aims to connect artisanal and small-scale miners to the global market, and will also:
- work with our partner, Endiama, to evaluate known kimberlite deposits
- support the implementation of new natural diamond marketing strategies
- promote diamond transparency and traceability, including Tracr.
To make sure that the growth of the diamond industry in Angola benefits as many of its citizens as possible, we have also agreed to assess and identify social development initiatives that would be most impactful, including the use our Building Forever framework.
Creating a thriving Angolan diamond industry
By focusing our exploration efforts on Angola, the partnership between De Beers and the Angolan government aims to invest in building a thriving natural diamond industry – one that puts safety first. Together, we aim to invest further in diamond traceability, and enhance the quality of life for the people of Angola.
Creating operational focus
Throughout 2024, we invested in rapid planning and operational development in Angola. This includes building and training of a new team that has 90% citizen component. We are still in early stages – continuing initial exploration and setting up operational camps, while prioritising safety and risk management, as well as conducting aerial surveys, identifying priority drilling targets and embedding fully operationalized drilling and logging capabilities.
Promising results
We have identified new high-potential kimberlite targets through airborne magnetic surveys at our concessions in Lunda-Sul province. In order to accelerate access to these areas, we are assessing explosive remnant of war (ERW) risks over the area of targets with the highest geological potential and completing our logistical plans for our drilling program.
"Angola’s diamond industry has the potential to grow much bigger and become much better. We're excited about the role De Beers can play in making sure Angola's huge potential below the ground is matched by its structure, sustainability and processes above the ground."
CEO of De Beers Group