The Namib Desert Diamond Company (Namdia) plans to open a school in Namibia to train people how to polish diamonds.
“As a ministry charged with ensuring sustainable development of Namibia’s mineral resources, including diamonds, we are in support of the idea for Namibia to have an institution that would produce the much-needed skills in diamond polishing,” Mines Minister Tom Alweendo was quoted as saying by the Windhoek Observer.
He said that it would be the first time in Namibia that there was a school that taught skills like diamond polishing.
“This implies that Namibia will have basic polishing skills... and will only import specialised polishing skills (for larger and fancy diamonds) from outside the country, not for a longer period, gradually reducing the current trend,” Alweendo said.
Namdia spokesperson Beverly Coussement said that they are still working on several things, including plans for how to fund the institution.
Meanwhile, outgoing acting executive director of mines Bryan Eiseb said that as of November 2023, the ministry had a record of 14 licenced diamond cutting and polishing companies that were fully operational.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
