Angola Opens Sixth Diamond-Cutting Factory as Saurimo Strengthens Its Position as a Diamond Processing Hub
Angola has strengthened its domestic diamond-processing industry with the inauguration of a new diamond-cutting factory in Saurimo, Lunda Sul Province, bringing the number of operational cutting facilities at the Saurimo Diamond Development Hub to six.
The new facility, operated by Diarough Angola, was officially opened by Minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas Diamantino Azevedo on Saturday, marking another step in Angola’s efforts to increase the value generated from its diamond resources within the country.
Diarough Angola is part of the Diarough Group, an international diamond company with operations across 10 countries and more than 10,000 employees.
The group has operated in the diamond industry for 66 years and says its decision to establish a presence in Angola was influenced by the country’s government policies and its growing focus on developing local diamond beneficiation.
The Saurimo facility will initially employ young Angolans trained at the Centre for Diamond Training, Assessment and Cutting (CEFOLAD).
Diarough Angola plans to create approximately 100 direct jobs over the next three to five years, with longer-term ambitions to expand its workforce to as many as 500 employees.
The investment is expected to contribute not only to employment creation but also to the development of specialised skills within Angola’s diamond value chain.
By providing opportunities for locally trained cutters, the facility will help strengthen the country’s technical capacity in diamond processing and polishing.
Speaking at the inauguration, Minister Azevedo described the project as more than the opening of another industrial facility, saying it reflected Angola’s broader ambition to transition from a resource-extracting economy towards a more industrialised mining sector.
A key component of this strategy is increasing the amount of rough diamonds processed locally rather than exporting them in their unprocessed form.
According to the minister, the volume of diamonds retained for local cutting increased significantly between 2021 and 2025, rising from about 25,000 carats to more than 62,000 carats.
Azevedo also placed particular emphasis on human capital development, noting that the country’s young workforce is central to building a sustainable domestic diamond-processing industry.
He encouraged newly trained workers to approach the opportunity with professionalism, discipline and commitment as Angola seeks to develop greater expertise across the value chain.
The expansion of local cutting capacity comes as Angola continues to position beneficiation as an important component of its diamond-sector strategy.
The Saurimo Diamond Development Hub has become a focal point for this effort, bringing together diamond-processing activities and related industrial capabilities closer to the country’s major producing areas.
For Lunda Sul, the new factory is also expected to provide wider economic benefits by creating employment and strengthening opportunities for young people.
The presence of additional processing capacity could contribute to the development of supporting businesses and services around the diamond industry, further embedding mining activity within the local economy.
Beyond its commercial investment, Diarough has announced plans to support social development initiatives in Saurimo.
These include assistance to the São João Calabria Charity Organisation and the construction of a medical centre over the next two years.
The company has also expressed hope that children supported through the organisation could eventually become part of its future workforce.
The inauguration was attended by Lunda Sul Governor Gildo Matias, representatives of ENDIAMA, Sodiam, Catoca and Luele, as well as civil, religious and military authorities, financial-sector partners and Diarough Group executives.
The opening of Diarough Angola’s factory therefore represents another development in Angola’s push to capture more value from its diamond resources domestically.
With additional processing facilities, a growing pool of trained diamond cutters and increased emphasis on local beneficiation, Saurimo is emerging as an important centre for Angola’s ambitions to expand beyond diamond mining into higher-value stages of the industry.
