The general director of Sociedade Mineira de Catoca, Benedito Manuel, said in Luanda that the Luele mine located in the province of Lunda Sul is an ENDIAMA project with the “fingerprints” of Angolan managers supplied by Catoca, who carried out the entire process of discovery, geological prospecting, design, as well as the layout of the mine itself.

In an interview with the newspaper EXPANSÃO, Benedito Manuel said that Catoca plays an important role in being a kind of “special technical arm” of the Angolan National Diamond Company for the development of the country’s diamond sub-sector.

“Of course, not underestimating Endiama Mining, which is the most specialized in the secondary deposits segment, while Catoca is the leader in primary deposits,” he explained.

The manager of the world’s fourth largest open-cast diamond mine was also optimistic about the possible change in the geography of world diamond production, which could raise Angola’s position in the ranking of the largest producers.

“It is almost certain that Angola will effectively become the decision-making point in the world diamond market. Therefore, on the assumption that this country will become the world’s largest diamond producer, at least according to the data we have,” he said.

The interview also covered topics such as the present and future of the Sociedade Mineira de Catoca, fluctuations in diamond prices, new discoveries and the global geography of diamond production.