Namibia’s Minister of Mines and Energy, Tom Alweendo, officially opened a new diamond cutting and polishing facility, KGK Diamonds Namibia at Windhoek on Friday April 13, according to reports in the local media. The factory belongs to Sky Investments, which is part of KGK Group in Hong Kong, the reports stated.

The factory will have a strength of 53, it was reported, and five of them are being sent for a comprehensive training programme at KGK India. An additional 30 local employees will be recruited by the end of the year.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister was reported to have welcomed the step taken by the group, and was quoted as saying, “(This)... is a major milestone for the cutting and polishing industry in Namibia”.

According to the reports, the minsiter also said that it was in line with the benefits that the Government of the Republic of Namibia envisaged with the signing of a new sorting, valuing, sales and marketing agreement with De Beers in May 2016.

The minister was also reported to have praised the KGK Group as “an accomplished rough diamond beneficiator in the Southern African region”, alluding to its nearly two decade old operations in South Africa and its more recent move to open facilities for cutting and polising diamonds in Botswana.

The media reports quote KGK Group as stating that it is now the largest employer in the diamond sector in southern Africa.