Angola’s semi-industrial diamond exploration activities produced and sold 50,750 carats of diamonds last year, generating revenues of $7.10 million, according to the National Diamond Company (Endiama).
Company chief executive José Ganga Júnior was quoted by Macauhub as saying during a press conference that semi-industrial mining activities consisted of 264 cooperatives of which 62 were operational.
Of these, 29 are prospecting and 33 are currently mining diamonds.
Meanwhile, Ganga Júnior said at least 39 diamond projects are prospecting in the provinces of Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul, Moxico, Malanje, Kwanza Sul, Huambo and Bié.
He said 13 mines are already producing diamonds, 10 of which are mining secondary deposits and the remaining three are focused on primary deposits.
Angola produced 6.5 million carats of rough diamonds in the first 10 months of 2021.
The country had a target of producing 9.1 million carats last year.
Angola recently revised its diamond output target for the year to 10.5 million carats valued at $1.4 billion.
It had initially expected to produce 13.8 million carats of diamonds this year worth about $1.9 billion.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
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