Antwerp: Earlier this week, the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) and Angola signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). AWDC, the umbrella organization for Belgian diamond companies, hailed this as a significant milestone in its partnership with Angola, one of the world’s leading diamond-producing countries. By formalizing their collaboration through the MoU, both parties aim to strengthen trade relations, ensuring that more Angolan rough diamonds find their way to Antwerp. Additionally, the agreement provides Angola with an opportunity to gain insights and expertise regarding the potential establishment of a G7 export verification point for rough diamonds.
As the third-largest producer of rough diamonds and a supplier of exceptionally high-quality stones, Angola is a critical partner for Antwerp’s diamond industry. “We firmly believe that the share of direct imports of Angolan rough diamonds can grow significantly. Antwerp offers a number of key advantages: proximity to the world’s largest jewelry brands, its status as the most transparent and reliable diamond trading center, and the large number of potential buyers of rough diamonds,” said Isidore Morsel, Chairman of AWDC. Both parties are committed to actively promoting Angolan rough diamonds in Antwerp.
In addition to strengthening trade relations, the working visit focused on knowledge sharing regarding a potential G7 verification point for rough diamonds in Angola. Just as AWDC is supporting Botswana with technical expertise and guidance on diamond control and certification, it seeks to inform Angola about the implications and opportunities of establishing a G7 verification point. “We can provide them with practical and technical tools to help make a G7 verification point in Angola a reality in the future. We are more than willing to share our blueprint, which meets today’s compliance and transparency requirements,” said Karen Rentmeesters, CEO of AWDC.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre and Angola’s state-owned companies Endiama and SODIAM, which manage diamond mining and sales, respectively. The signing took place on November 27 during a working visit following FACETS 2024, the international diamond conference organized by AWDC.
