Image credit: De Beers
GemFair scaled up the programme to a further 42 mine sites, bringing the total to 136 member sites in the first quarter of the year.
It was, however, forced to shift its focus after that as the coronavirus continued to spread.
“[When] the pandemic began,…we quickly realised that 2020 was not going to be the year we had planned,” said general manager and De Beers senior vice-president of corporate affairs, Feriel Zerouki.
“The outbreak of Covid-19 profoundly impacted GemFair’s operating environment in Sierra Leone, as well as the global diamond market. It also presented significant challenges for GemFair’s members.”
She said the combination of a depressed diamond market, a poor harvest and a sharp increase in food prices due to border closures, meant that food security became a very real concern for their members, with many saying they were unable to feed their families.
“With our unique position in the local ASM sector and our commitment to helping improve the lives of ASM workers, we knew we had to do all we could to support the local community during this unprecedented crisis,” said Zerouki.
“Our local team immediately mobilised to develop and roll out an extensive Covid-19 response plan, focused on providing food and medical support to our members, their families and the wider community.”
GemFair, which seeks to promote responsible sourcing from artisanal diamond miners, signed a Memorandum of Understanding last July with the German Development Corporation (GIZ) and the Mano River Union (MRU).
The MoU will help develop and deliver a capacity building programme in the MRU countries of Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Ivory Coast, to further enhance practices in the ASM sector.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
