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Sierra Leone YTD Diamond Exports +25%
Sierra Leone Diamond Exports in First Half of 2009: $70 Million
The value of diamond exports from Sierra Leone in the first half of 2009 stand at around $70 million, having fallen by nearly half from the same period of 2008. The decline is attributed to a lower volume of diamonds exported as well as falling world prices for diamonds. The value of the country’s exports is projected to be some $180 million, about 27% smaller than in 2008. Source: Diamond News
Gem producer Botswana cuts output
The world's largest diamond producer, Botswana, is to cut output by more than half this year, because of falling demand for gems. Debswana, jointly owned by the Botswana government and De Beers, said it would produce 15 million carats of diamonds, against 33.6 million carats last year. It came after state diamond trading firm DTCB said it could only sell between 18 and 20 million carats. In February, Debswana had said it would close two mines for the rest of 2009. "If there are indications that demand will improve quickly, then we will increase production," said DTCB corporate affairs manager Esther Kanaimba. She said there was some inventory left from poor sales in November and December last year. DTCB was set up in 2008 by Botswana's former president, Festus Mogae, in a move designed to boost local business and create jobs. The mining industry in Botswana has cut 4,500 jobs as global demand for diamonds has fallen. Debswana produces close to a quarter of the world's output.
Sierra Leone diamond miners go for gold
Diamond mining in Sierra Leone, for years a symbol of the worst form of exploitation of Africa's natural resources, is following a global economic trend with miners turning to gold.
Mexivada Receives Signed MOU from Gbense Chiefdom for Diamond Mining at Kono, Sierra Leone
Mexivada has executed a series of legal documents to facilitate start up of new artisanal diamond mining operations in Sierra Leone, Africa, through its subsidiary, Mexivada Gold and Diamond Mining Company (SL) Limited ("MGD").
Royal Asscher Unveils Sierra Leone Charity
Royal Asscher is launching a Sierra Leone focused charity project called, “Star of Africa,” which aims to improve infrastructure in Sierra Leone by creating funding for education and self sufficiency programs.
Lesotho mine yields one of world's largest diamonds
 LONDON (Reuters) – Miners in the southern African kingdom of Lesotho have found one of the world's largest diamonds, a near-flawless white gem weighing nearly 500 carats, mining group Gem Diamonds said on Sunday.The diamond was discovered in the Letseng Mine on September 8, the company said in a statement. It has been analyzed by experts in Antwerp and found to weigh 478 carats, with very few inclusions and of outstanding color and clarity. "It has the potential to yield one of the largest flawless D color round polished diamonds in history," the company said. Letseng is one of the most productive mines in history -- four of the world's 20 largest rough diamonds have been found at the mine, including the three largest found this century. Before it is cut into gems it is hard to value the diamond, but a spokesman for Gem Diamonds said a similar weight stone with lesser-quality color and clarity had recently sold for $12 million (around 5.5 million pounds). "Preliminary examination of this remarkable diamond indicates that it will yield a record breaking polished stone of the very best color and clarity," Clifford Elphick, the chief executive of Gem Diamonds, said in a statement.
Sierra Leone underground diamond
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Sierra Leone's only underground diamond mine has sold its first gems, bringing it a step closer to full-scale production and a stock market listing next year, one of its parent companies has said.
Reporting on the Fair Trade Jewelry Conference
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The Fair Trade Jewelry Conference at the JCK Jewelry Show in Las Vegas last Monday was so profound for me that it honestly has taken me over a week to process it. I was familiar with some of the issues discussed but learned a great many things about the various movements in ethical, fair trade, fair made and green jewelry and why they should matter to everyone who gives, receives and enjoys fine jewelry.
Martin Rapaport On The Future of Diamonds
Ghana Host West Africa Mining Exhibition
The Eighth West African International Mining and Power Exhibition (WAMPOC 2008) is underway in Accra on the theme: 'Development Through Mining And Power- A Shared Responsibility.'
No more business as usual in Sierra Leone
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New Standards for Sierra Leone
The Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) announced today the release of its Standards & Guidelines for Sierra Leone’s Artisanal Diamond Mining Sector. The release, in partnership with Sierra Leone’s Network Movement for Justice and Development, is the first comprehensive guide to a sector that was until recently plagued by armed rebellion and horrific violence.
Sierra Leone lifts suspension on Israeli diamond miner
The government of Sierra Leone has lifted a suspension on an Israeli diamond mining firm following a five-month investigation into a riot that left two people dead. Sierra Leone in December ordered Koidu Holdings, controlled by Israeli diamond merchant Beny Steinmetz, to halt all operations pending an investigation into the incident in which police shot into a crowd of rioting youths who were protesting over long-standing land disputes with the company. In a statement issued late Wednesday, the government said it was "immediately lifting" the ban after a consultation with Steinmetz and other officials this week. "Koidu Holdings are cleared of all charges and accusations," the statement said, adding that the government is working with the company to try to resolve the issues of land ownership and resettlement of displaced residents around the mine. Police have said the officers were shooting warning shots to quell a protest that had turned uncontrollably violent — with youths ransacking the town and burning two police posts. A report issued last month by investigators said police went on a "trigger-happy free-for-all shooting spree." It said Koidu could have "shown a little bit of restraint and sensitivity toward the demonstrators," but did not fault the company. Sierra Leone is still struggling to recover from a devastating 10-year civil war that ended in 2002. Koidu has been operating in the country since 2003. Sierra Leone lifts suspension on Israeli diamond miner - International Herald Tribune
A beef with Sierra Leone
Once linked to alleged arms smugglers, Crooks, 59, is a well-known businessman in Sierra Leone who mined diamonds there and helped save people fleeing the fighting during the country's bloody coup in 1997.
First Test Gives Cream Minerals Gem quality Stones
All stones recovered were being submitted to the government's Diamond Office to determine royalties and for the issuance of Kimberley Process certificates. Following payment of applicable royalties and certification, Cream will be able to export and sell the diamonds.
Gold miner Teeling sees growth in Sierra Leone
Teeling, an Irish mining entrepreneur, said gold and diamond production had begun at its plant 11 project in Koidu.
Exclusive Interview with Sierra Leone MP Chernor Ramadan Maju Bah Esq
Sierra Leone Vice President: All of the Diamonds We Export are Conflict Free
West African nations seek more benefit from mining
Mining Lease Granted to Saudi Company
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Diamond Development Initiative Workshop Addresses Artisanal Standards
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Ghana Opens Diamond Cutting School
 Ghana opened its first diamond cutting school in an effort to add value to its diamond exports. According to the Ghana News Agency, the Natural Diamond Training Institute was established in Accra to teach Ghanaians basic skilling including: identification of raw diamonds; cutting; polishing; separation, assortment and grading of diamonds. Raj Maheswaran, director of the institute, told GNA that students were also being taught diamond marketing skills and were being equipped to establish their own companies. The institute runs a two-month intensive course for senior secondary school graduates and is open to students from the West Africa Sub Region. Ghana exports all its diamonds mined cutting and polishing abroad. The country mined 972,647.88 carats of diamonds valued at $30.9 million in 2006, according to the latest Kimberley Process statistics.
Energy firm link to blood diamonds
Energem Resources, with its head office in South Africa and registered office in Canada, used to be known as DiamondWorks. It changed its name in 2004 and gained its London AIM listing last month. Canaccord Adams, the adviser that piloted it onto London’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM), is headed by Tim Hoare, who sits alongside rock star and champion of Africa Bob Geldof on the board of the television-production company Ten Alps. Hoare has been a board member since March this year. The hedge fund RAB Capital owns nearly 25% of Energem.
KOIDU HOLDINGS PLEDGES COOPERATION WITH GOVERNMENT
“Koidu Holdings has offered its full cooperation to the Commission of Inquiry,” said Patrick Saada, a director for the company. “It is our hope that the Commission can work expeditiously and in the best interests of all of the stakeholders – the community, the workers and the nation – so that the mining operations of Koidu Holdings can resume as quickly as possible at this site.”
Diamond Fields International names replacement for outgoing CEO
Diamond Fields said Edward Wayne Malouf has also been appointed a director and as president in addition to becoming interim chief executive officer of Diamond Fields, effective Jan. 1, 2008.
Fatal Clashes in Kono Prompt Government Inquiry
S. Leone halts mining after 2 die in diamond riots
President Ernest Bai Koroma ordered a temporary halt to Koidu's operations in an effort to calm tensions in the poor West African state, in which fighting for control of diamond mines fuelled a brutal 1991-2002 civil war.
S.Leone wants more give, less take from mining firms
After largely peaceful elections this year in the former British colony, torn
apart by a brutal 1991-2002 civil war, foreign firms are once again starting to
consider mineral-rich Sierra Leone as a possible investment destination.
Congo's Diamond Industry Let Back Into Kimberly Process
The Republic of Congo has rejoined the Kimberly Process, a global watchdog group designed to stop the flow of conflict diamonds. Analysts say the move shows controls on the diamond trade in the country are improving, but warn that there is still much to be done to regulate the diamond industry, both in Congo and around the world. Selah Hennessy reports from the VOA West and Central Africa bureau in Dakar.
Confiscated rough diamonds are displayed at the US Customs and Border Protection office in Anchorage, Alaska, 19 July 2007"This is very, very important for our country," said Alain Akouala, Congo's communication minister. He said the move, which makes it possible for Congo to export diamonds worldwide, will boost Congo's business community. "This country has an important economic potential and we need to do business, we need to build up our country," he added. The Kimberley Process was established with diamond industry backing in late 2002. The effort came in response to growing world concern about so-called "blood diamonds" that fueled and funded the bloody 1990s conflicts in Angola, Congo, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Republic of Congo was kicked out of the Kimberly Process (KP) in 2004 after it was found that it had smuggled from surrounding nations the majority of its diamonds it was putting on the market each year through Europe and the Middle East. Annie Dunnebacke, a campaigner for London-based watchdog Global Witness, says the KP decision shows that Congo has come a long way. But she says there is still great potential for illicit trade in the region, where porous borders and weak controls remain a problem. "You have situations where although the government has taken steps to step up border control, for instance, or to train customs officials - you have situations where controls still are not strong enough," she said. "So we will have to keep an eye out and make sure that the borders are strong enough and that diamonds are not being smuggled in or out of the Republic of Congo." Dunnebacke says KP has served as an important tool for regulating the diamond trade since its launch in 2002, but that there is still much to be done to make regulation effective. "There is a serious lack of political will in terms of governments agreeing to have proper oversight over their industry, and I think there is also a lack of will on the part of the industry to self regulate the way they should, so there is a lot of work still to be done on the KP to make it effective," she added. She says there are a few very problematic loopholes in the system. She says, for example, KP only regulates rough diamonds, not those that are polished. "One of the major loop-holes that you can find is conflict or illicit diamonds could be smuggled directly into a cutting or polishing center and come out the other end and have completely escaped KP controls," she explained. The European Union hosted the four-day Kimberly Process meeting in Brussels. The multi-national body says the Kimberly Process is becoming increasingly effective in the fight against conflict diamonds. More than 80 percent of the world's rough diamonds pass through the EU, via the Belgium port city Antwerp. VOA News - Congo's Diamond Industry Let Back Into Kimberly Process |
Diamond exports from Sierra Leone rose approximately 25 percent to $35 million in the first five months of 2010, compared to the same period last year, a senior government official told Reuters.
You've likely never heard of Martin Rapaport but to the diamond world he's
famous. Rapaport is to diamonds what Robert Parker is to wine, a person of
tremendous influence. He runs 
MOGBWEMO: Chief Osman Komora pointed up towards the power
lines that bypass his village to provide electricity to foreign employees of the
Sierra Rutile mine next door.
Who is Lake Conroe resident Roger Crooks? And why is he suing the government
of Sierra Leone?
Cream
Minerals Ltd. discovered 46 diamonds in the first four days of
operations at its Sewa River property in Sierra Leone. The diamonds
were recovered from the upstream end of the approximately 4-kilometre
long river section. In aggregate, the 46 stones weighed approximately
21.5 carats and more than 90 percent of the stones were considered to
be of gem quality.
DUBLIN (Reuters) - Exploration company West African Diamonds is expanding its
gold and diamond operations in Sierra Leone with scope for good growth in the
coming years, the company's chairman John Teeling said on Tuesday.
MP Maju Bah stated: “The importance of this conference to Sierra Leone is
indicated by the very large and high-powered delegation we have sent. It also
shows the importance of Israel to our country and this is just the beginning.”
In his address before the participants of the Third International Rough
Diamond Conference, Sierra Leone’s Vice President Samuel Sam-Sumana stated that
in a recent meeting with Israel Diamond Institute Group’s (IDI) Managing
Director Eli Avidar he informed Avidar that Sierra Leone aspires to strengthen
its diamond industry. The Vice President noted: “The current atmosphere in
Sierra Leone encourages foreign investment. In the past seven years we have
enjoyed quiet in Sierra Leone. This was expressed in the peaceful transition of
government last September.”
A dozen countries from around West and Central Africa meet in Guinea on
Monday to discuss how they can derive greater long-term economic benefit from
their mining sectors, a senior World Bank official said.
London Mining Company granted mining lease to take over the defunct Marampa
mines in Sierra Leone has also formed a new joint venture company called the
Saudi London Iron Ltd (SLI) in January 2008 with a Saudi-based National Mining
Company, each owning 50% shares.
A COMPANY that has just launched itself on the London stock market as a
renewable-energy business is the same firm that became embroiled in the “blood
diamond” scandals of the 1990s, in which illegally traded diamonds were used to
finance civil wars in Africa, The Sunday Times has established.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa - Diamond Fields International Ltd. (DFI:TSX) has
appointed an interim CEO to replace Roger Daniel, who previously announced his
intention is leave the Canadian-listed mining company at the end of December.
Sierra Leone’s government is calling for an inquiry into recent events in
which a number of protestors were killed in clashes with police officers in the
diamond-rich eastern Sierra Leone province of Kono. The clashes were sparked by
what the government dubbed as “discontent” between the Koidu Holdings Mining
Company and area residents.
Police used tear gas and live bullets to disperse more than 400 protesters who looted equipment and destroyed a generator at mining company Koidu Holdings' concession on Thursday.
FREETOWN (Reuters) - Foreign mining companies must build new roads, railways
and ports in Sierra Leone which will benefit the country's poor if they want to
extract its precious minerals, the mining minister said.
