Minister Diamantino Azevedo told the inaugural Angola International Diamond Conference (AIDC) at the Saurimo Diamond Development Hub in the eastern Lunda Sul Province that this was a 72% growth when compared to the same period last year.
Angola produced about 8 million carats last year from 9.4 million carats in 2019.
The country’s diamond output target for 2021 was previously set at 9.3 million carats, but Azevedo said they are projecting an output of 9.1 million carats.
Meanwhile, the mineral resources minister said Angola had made great strides to improve transparency in the diamond sector.
He told the diamond conference that the liberalization of diamond sales will help boost revenue, which will, in turn, boost Angola’s economic development.
“We intend to [further] improve the [diamond] selling policy,” the minister said while speaking in Portuguese.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau in Saurimo, Angola, Rough&Polished
