Alrosa Eyes Diamond Projects in DR Congo

RAPAPORT… Alrosa has signed an agreement with the state-owned diamond company in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that will see the pair work together on exploration, mining and processing of rough.

The Russian miner and the Bakwanga Diamond Company (Miba) will share technological, scientific and technical information to enable them to increase business in the diamond industry, Alrosa said last week. They will also cooperate on ensuring transparency and meeting international standards for responsible diamond supply-chain engineering.

The deal is not related to the recent toxic-waste leak into the DRC from Alrosa’s partially owned Catoca mine in Angola, it stipulated, noting it had been negotiating a collaboration with the DRC for several years.

“The diamond-mining sector continues to play an important role for both Russia and the DRC,” said Vladimir Marchenko, deputy CEO of Alrosa and head of its African division. “This means that it not only impacts their position on the global stage, but that it also helps money flows into the budgets and also creates jobs for the local communities, dozens of social projects, as well as opportunities for local suppliers. We express our willingness to share our practical experience as well as technical and professional resources with…Miba for a dynamic and efficient implementation of future projects in diamond mining.”

Image: Rough-diamond sorting. (Alrosa)