Why Africa bleeds diamond revenues

Africa holds mineral wealth with diverse commodities that are sought after the world over. In the diamond industry, local communities miss out on profits despite multilateral certification measures.

In diamond-rich parts of Africa, the revenue generated from mineral extraction does little to improve quality of life for the people who live in those countries, with Botswana being the only exception. Instead of uplifting communities through mineral riches, many people find themselves stuck in a vicious cycle of exploitation and abuse.

DW asked diamond industry insiders and experts why the extraction of the gemstones fails to result in local socioeconomic benefits.

Big names benefiting from division

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, said African Diamond Council President M’Zee Fula Ngenge, there’s a history of conflict brought about by “pervasive greed, postcolonial secessionism, as well as a customary erosion of public sector accountability and government management.” 

Ngenge believes only a select few get to directly benefit from the hard labor of miners, keeping the workers barely surviving in order to continue exerting power over them. Regional conflicts not only add to this mix of control and illicit oppression but actually benefit the big names in the diamond trade, allowing them to set the going rate for labor according to how desperate miners are to make money.

This scenario of conflict in Congo is similar in other African countries with large mineral riches as well, said Ngenge, highlighting that many nations in the region are “deliberately targeted [by the diamond industry] for their political and social instability.” Read More from original source