Angola is projected to produce 17.53 million carats by 2027, according to the country’s state-owned diamond company, Endiama.
Data gleaned by Rough & Polished at the African Mining Indaba in Cape Town showed that revenue is also expected to rise to $2.62 billion in the same year.
At least 24 mines are currently producing diamonds in Angola.
The country recently opened the Luele diamond mine, which is expected to dislodge Catoca as Angola’s largest diamond mine.
Luele kimberlite has an ore quantity of 647 million tonnes which will result in the production of 628 million carats. The mine is projected to run from 2023 to 2083.
Endiama said Angola produced about 9.8 million carats of rough diamonds in 2023 despite the global economic downturn.
It realised $1.5 billion in revenue from the diamonds sold last year.
Endiama said that 99.8% of the diamonds produced in 2023 were industrial, while 0.20% were semi-industrial production.
Meanwhile, the diamond company said Angola currently has 54 exploration projects.
Of these 10 were primary kimberlite, while 44 were secondary.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, from Cape Town, South Africa, Rough&Polished
