The Secretary of State for Mineral Resources, Jânio Corrêa Victor, received yesterday in Saurimo, Lunda Sul, a delegation from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), composed of three vice-presidents, namely Jillian Heather Wolk, Rajesh Rasiklal Kothari and Thomas Merrill Moses.

The purpose of the visit was to observe working conditions in Angola’s diamond sector, as well as the projects implemented in the province.

The first destination was the Catoca mine, where they were able to see the diamond production process, operational safety procedures and environmental sustainability practices up close, with a focus on environmental impact mitigation measures.

The delegation also visited the Saurimo Diamond Development Hub, where they were shown strategic infrastructure, notably the cutting factories, the solar panel power station that supplies the complex, CEFOPE and CEFOLAD.

In an interview, Secretary of State Jânio Correia Victor emphasised the strategic importance of this visit, stating that the GIA is one of the world’s leading institutes and that it is important to have a memorandum of understanding with this institution because it is responsible for certifying cut diamonds.

The minister also noted that Angola is currently the world’s third largest diamond producer and expressed his ambition to become the world’s largest producer in the medium term.

In turn, GIA Executive Vice President Thomas Merrill Moses explained that the mission has a clear focus on learning and understanding the Angolan context.

‘The purpose of our visit was to learn as much as we can about Angola, diamonds, production, environmental issues and social benefits, so that we can tell these stories to end consumers around the world,’ he said.

The meeting was attended by representatives from ENDIAMA-E.P, SODIAM-E.P and the National Agency for Mineral Resources.