Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) has postponed its second African Diamond Conference (ADC), which was due in Durban, South Africa next May, due to concerns over the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
It said although a new date has not yet been set, it is likely to be rescheduled for late October 2020.
Image credit: AWDC
“The decision to postpone the conference was only taken after thorough consideration of the current situation and of all the available options,” said AWDC.
“At the end of the day, we felt the decision to postpone was the only feasible one. We need not point out to anyone the extent to which the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus has disrupted everyday life across the globe, leading to the postponement or cancellation of myriad events in the interest of public health.”
The conference was expected to promote direct and mutually-beneficial relations between African diamond producing countries and the (Belgian) diamond industry.
Delegates were also expected to discuss issues pertaining to the advancing of diamond benificiation in Africa, greenfield diamond exploration, strategies to market natural rough diamonds, leveraging the diamond industry for socio-economic development, and the importance of diamond trading centres in the global value chain.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
