The Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) is making moves to attract Angola's diamonds to the world's largest diamond hub in Belgium.
Only 10% of the southern African country's diamonds are being sold in Antwerp, according to AWDC President Chaim Pluczenik in a statement emailed to Rough&Polished from Luanda where he is visiting with other top delegates from Antwerp, Belgium.
"Producers across the globe bring their rough diamonds to Antwerp first, because we can guarantee maximum revenue and true market value, yet barely 10% of Angola's rough diamonds find their way to the Antwerp's open market today," he said.
"We are here [in Angola] to talk about how Antwerp can contribute and ensure Angola reaps the full benefits of this precious resource in full transparency, and what we can do to support Angola, by sharing our knowledge, expertise, and network, to build a sustainable diamond industry from the huge potential it holds."
President Lourenço visited Antwerp in 2018, just months after taking office.
During the visit, he acknowledged that hardly any of Angola's rough diamonds were traded directly on the Antwerp market for decades.
President Lourenço then indicated his desire to reform the Angolan diamond industry and collaborate closely with Antwerp.
Antwerp delegation members met with the minister for mineral resources, Diamantino Azevedo as well as with Endiama and Sodiam Presidents Ganga Jr. and Bravo da Rosa and other Angolan industry stakeholders, engaging in one-on-one business meetings during formal and informal meetings throughout the two-day visit.
The visit of Antwerp-based traders, specialist manufacturers, miners, tender houses, and boiling experts marks the next step in the Angolan-Antwerp partnership.
About 86% of the world's rough diamonds are traded in Antwerp making the city the global leader in the rough diamond trade.
Angola produced about 8 million carats last year down from 9.4 million carats in 2019 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
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