The world’s 1.5 million artisanal diamond miners are getting a helping hand from Africa.
Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) says Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Guinea are contributing financially to its work.
“I believe African governments must be partners in helping to solve the problems we are addressing,” said Dorothée Gizenga, DDI’s executive director.
“I have long believed funding for these projects should not come entirely from the north. To my very pleasant surprise, Angola, DRC, and Guinea were the first to respond in a constructive and meaningful way. We hope and fully expect others will join the lead [these countries] have shown.”
DDI works directly with artisanal and small-scale miners who operate largely informally and outside the reach of standards to which mining companies would normally have access. Development diamonds are certified as being produced responsibly, safely, with respect of human and communities’ rights, and in conflict-free zones. They provide beneficiation to communities and payment of fair prices, converting them into instruments of development.
“DDI has a special place in the Kimberley Process,” said Martin Kabwelulu, DRC’s minister of mines. “It has a unique development mandate on the ground in Africa, one that no other development organization is tackling. DDI’s work is important to my country, to artisanal diamond miners, and to the communities in which they work. We are pleased to provide a small token of our support and confidence in what DDI is doing.”
