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Russian Alrosa travels next month to Mozambique for talks on diamond mining

October 24, 2019

By Arnaldo Cuamba

Technicians from Alrosa, a Russian group of diamond mining companies that specialize in exploration, mining, manufacture, and sale of diamonds, will travel to Mozambique in November to start technical talks for possible prospecting work on the real quantity of the ore in the country.

The announcement was made to journalists by the company's Chief Executive Officer, Sergey Ivanov, at the end of the meeting with the Mozambican President, Filipe Nyusi, held last night on the margins of the Russia-Africa Summit.

Ivanov said that the company's intention was to carry out research in the areas bordering Zimbabwe, but Nyusi advised that they should also go to other areas of Mozambique.

In 2016 mozambican government confirmed the existence of diamonds in Massangena district, in Gaza province. However, So far, the occurrence of diamonds has been confirmed there, but the entire Save Valley is believed to be likely to have some diamond deposits.

On the other hand, Mozambique wants Russian support to join the Kimberley process that allows the commercialization of diamonds in the international market.  Ivanov said that they would do their best to make the country part of the process.

"I am sure that even if Alrosa does not go to Mozambique and even if he finds nothing, Mozambique may become a member of the Kimberley Process, because other companies work there and it is important to negotiate and sell the diamonds” he said, “ And the Russian Federation will preside over the Kimberley Process next year and we will be ready to do our best so that Mozambique will also become a member of the process" he added.

Mozambique is already a signatory to the Kimberley Agreement. The Kimberley Certification Scheme was set up in 2003 to prevent "conflict diamonds" (also known as "blood diamonds") from entering the mainstream diamond market. The purpose of the scheme was to ensure that the diamond trade was not financing violence by rebel movements seeking to overthrow legitimate governments.

Mozambique is a country rich in almost all types of mineral resources, including diamonds, gold, rubis, but unfortunately the country doesn't had good fortune to make a thorough study and start exploration yet.

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