Luanda,Aug 15, 2025 (Lusa) - Angola's minister of mineral resources, oil and gas in Saurimo, Lunda Sul province, highlighted on Friday the return of De Beers to Angola, which, in partnership with Endiama, the national diamond company, has discovered a new kimberlite field.
Diamantino Azevedo, who was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Lueji A'Nkonde University Polytechnic Institute by Angolan President João Lourenço, said that ‘the return of the South African partner to Angola is already bearing fruit’, with the discovery of a kimberlitic body in the Mukonda concession in Lunda Sul.
According to the minister, this result obtained in the first drill hole of high priority targets could represent the emergence of a new kimberlitic province in the country, ‘reinforcing the strategic importance of this partnership and confirming the high geological potential of diamonds’ in Angola.
On Tuesday, De Beers announced the discovery of a new kimberlitic field, the first in more than three decades, which reinforces the group's commitment to Angola, stressing that in the coming months, new drilling, geophysical land surveys and laboratory analyses will be carried out to confirm the type of kimberlite and assess its diamond potential.
‘In July 2025, the De Beers-Endiama joint venture successfully intersected kimberlite in its first drilling in a series of high-priority targets identified from aerial surveys completed in March 2025,’ the diamond company points out.
The CEO of the De Beers Group, Al Cook, quoted in the note, said that Angola is, in his opinion, ‘one of the best places on the planet to look for diamonds’.
‘It is a powerful reminder of what can be achieved through partnerships, and I congratulate President Lourenço and his government for all the work they have done to increase transparency, adopt international best practices and create a favourable business environment, which has allowed us to return to Angola and look for new sources of supply,’ he stressed.
In his speech, the minister of mineral resources, oil and gas said that Lunda-Sul had established itself as the main diamond producing centre, with two large production mines, the Catoca mining company and the Luele mining company, which directly employ more than 7,000 workers.
‘In the last two years, the province's average annual production has reached around 10 million carats, corresponding to almost 87% of national production in this period,’ said Diamantino Azevedo.
He stressed that despite the difficulties that the national diamond sector has been going through in recent times, due to the sanctions imposed on the previous partner in the Sociedade Mineira de Catoca, the Russian company Al Rosa, and due to the emergence of synthetic diamonds, which negatively affected the price, in 2024, for the first time, national diamond production exceeded nine million carats, reaching production of more than 14 million carats.
‘In 2023, the province once again stood out with the inauguration of Sociedade Mineira do Luele, this mine with diamond resources valued at more than 600 million carats, classified as the largest project of its kind launched in recent years worldwide, marks a historic milestone for the national diamond sector,’ he emphasised.
Azevedo mentioned the need to promote the development of human capital, adding that the polytechnic institute inaugurated today ‘is a beacon of knowledge geared towards specialised technical training’ to empower young people.
The Lueji A'Nkonde University Polytechnic Institute, built in 32 months in the city of Saurimo, capital of Lunda Sul, cost the state $47.4 million (€40.2 million) and is expected to benefit more than 5,400 students in three shifts.
NME/ADB // ADB.
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