The Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) recently  launched an anti-smuggling programme for border communities in the Mano River Union region of West Africa.

As part of the initiative, DDI has held “sensitization workshops” over the past two weeks in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and Monrovia, Liberia. The workshops were  attended by more than  40 government agents and civil society representatives.   

The aim of the workshops was to train participants  “to create awareness and sensitize members of border communities about diamond smuggling,” DDI said.

“The free flow of diamonds across borders is illegal, but unfortunately not everyone knows that fact,” DDI expained. “The significant artisanal diamond mining in these countries, most of it being informal, makes controlling production and trade of diamonds difficult, to the detriment of the national economies and potential development for the mining communities.”

The first phase of the programme involved a pilot project in Guinea. As the pilot was a success,   the initiative has been taken to the other countries of the Mano River Union region.

Dorothée Gizenga, DDI Executive Director commented: "It's exciting to see the kind of impact this initiative can have on reducing smuggling across border communities. We're really looking forward to expanding the programme to help the formalisation of the artisanal diamond economy."

Gizenga thanked  the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the sustainable development arm of the German government, and the European Union, whose support the project possible.

“This initiative is part of the Kimberley Process Regional Approach to address common KP implementation issues in the region and strengthen enforcement,” DDI noted.

 Pic Cap: GIZ representative opening the workshop in Freetown