Gaborone: Namdeb Diamond Corporation, a joint venture between Namibia and De Beers has re-affirmed its plans to mine gems in the southern African country until at least 2050 by deploying new technology.

Bloomberg quoted Namdeb spokesperson Pauline Thomas as saying that it takes “continuous innovation” and “investing in new technology to mine mid-water areas”.

Namdeb recently opened the Sendelingsdrif mine and diamond recovery complex, built at a combined cost of $48 million.

This was part of what it called Project 2050, according to Bloomberg. However, Thomas could not give details on the production capacity at the mine, which was Namdeb’s second largest in the Orange River licence area. “Financing of projects in Namibia is done on a case-by-case basis,” she said.

“We have two strong shareholders in the government of Namibia and De Beers.” Namibia was currently in talks with De Beers for a sales agreement to replace their 2007 deal. Mines and Energy Minister Isak Katali said recently that they intend to complete talks before the end of next month.