CATOCA Chair and the Center for Studies and Scientific Research of the Higher Metropolitan Polytechnic Institute of Angola held the 1st National Diamond Conference in Luanda, under the slogan “economic potential and the impact of its industry on national development”.

Speaking at the opening of the event, the national director for Mineral Resources at the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas, Paulo Tanganha, highlighted the importance of the diamond sub-sector in leveraging the country’s economy, noting that optimizing its contribution in terms of quantity and value represents a challenge for all those involved in its production chain.

Paulo Tanganha also pointed out that as part of the reforms carried out by the Angolan government to improve the business environment, ENDIAMA had ceased to act as a concessionaire and was concentrating its efforts on fulfilling its corporate purpose as a diamond mining operator.

He spoke about the process of implementing the Angolan Diamond Exchange, which ENDIAMA-E.P. and Sociedade de Comercialização de Diamantes (SODIAM) will manage, and was optimistic that it would be up and running by the end of this year.

The activity was attended by various figures from the academic world and the diamond sub-sector to discuss the topics linked to the national diamond industry with emphasis on the “value chain of the Angolan diamond industry” and the “dynamics of the indicators of the impact of diamonds on the national economy and the outlook for the coming years”.