AFRICAN MINISTERS DISCUSS THE IMPORTANCE OF DIAMONDS TO THEIR ECONOMY

African ministers and senior government officials in the areas of mines and mineral resources held a one-day workshop, which was powered by the de beers group. The workshop was directed to communicate the importance of diamond trade in the African continent. The ministers discussed the benefits of diamonds to their national economy and also perceived an immediate need to tell the world the role that diamonds play in their continent.

Erkki Nghimtina, Namibian Minister of Mines and Energy, highlighted the need for African producers to work together to articulate the benefits of diamonds to the rest of the world, ensuring that the trade is a key part of Africa�s development and future.

Diamonds help African economy grow, it assists education, help the government built more clinics and hospitals, and help them fight against HIV/AIDS.

According to De Beers, 65 percent of the world?s diamonds are produced in Africa, contributing more than US$8.4 billion per year to the continent. Revenues from diamonds have helped to fund the construction of hospitals, medical centres and hospices, ensuring that more than five million people worldwide have access to appropriate healthcare. In Southern Africa alone, the diamond industry employs more than 28,000 people.