The Export of Diamonds from Ghana Like most other countries in West Africa, Ghana has several deposits of diamonds as well. However, the country has yet to feature in the global list of major diamond producers. Ghana produced a little more than 370,000 carats of rough diamonds in 2009, and this was seen as a major reduction in the production of diamonds in terms of volume. However, now with things falling in place, Ghana diamonds are becoming popular, albeit gradually. Diamond Mining in Ghana Diamond mining in the country is concentrated in the Birim Valley, near Akwatia. Usually, these diamonds are mined by small scale miners from alluvial as well as in-situ deposits. Under the British, Ghana had one of the biggest state-owned diamond miners in the world, but once the British left, diamond mining operations have gone down and it is now confined to the small scale sector. Unfortunately, diamond mining in the country has not taken off as the government would have liked it to, with the country producing around 400,000 carats a month. Diamond Industry in Ghana
In Ghana, there is a three-tier system in
place for diamond mining and selling. The country has miners,
who are usually small scale miners, sellers and then there are
exporters. Till 2007, the Ghana Minerals Commissioned supervised
the miners. However, once the Kimberley Process Certification
Scheme was launched, the Precious Minerals Marketing Company
Ltd. supervises not just the miners, but also the trading
activities. The PMMC collects all the required information about
the miners and forwards it to the Kimberley Process authorities.
The Export of Diamonds from Ghana
The country has many rules and regulations in
place to ensure that the export of diamonds takes place within
the framework of Kimberley Process. Before shipments are
exported, they are inspected to ensure that illegal diamonds do
not make their way into the diamond markets of the world. The Future of Export of Diamonds from Ghana
The production and mining of diamonds have to
be streamlined. The country produces and exports mostly rough
diamonds and the government has finally realised the importance
of polished diamonds. The Precious Minerals Marketing Company
has set up a plant for diamond cutting and polishing. This will
help Ghana stop exporting rough diamonds. Furthermore, it will
also generate employment, as workers will be required to polish
and cut the diamonds. Copyright gepcghana.com 2010 All Rights Reserved |