LUANDA, Feb 10 – Angola’s state owned diamond producer Endiama plans to raise annual output to 17 million carats by 2027, building on record production levels achieved last year, according to a government publication released at the Africa Mining Indaba in Cape Town.
Endiama produced 14 million carats of rough diamonds in 2024, the highest output in the company’s history. The performance placed Angola as the world’s third largest producer of rough diamonds by volume, behind Russia and Botswana, the publication showed.
An Endiama spokesperson said the company’s target is to lift production from 14 million carats to 17 million carats over the next three years. The plan was outlined in materials distributed during the mining conference attended by industry executives, investors and government officials.
The increase in output forms part of Angola’s broader effort to strengthen its mining sector and expand the role of diamonds in national economic diversification. For the oil dependent country, diamonds remain one of the most important non oil sources of export revenue.
Alongside the production push, Angola is also seeking a greater role in the global diamond industry. Paulo Tanganha, the country’s national director of mineral resources, told Reuters that the government is exploring the acquisition of a 20 percent to 30 percent stake in De Beers.
The potential investment would be held jointly by Endiama and Angola’s national diamond trading company, Sodiam. De Beers is currently owned by Anglo American and is one of the world’s most influential diamond businesses.
If completed, the stake would mark a significant step in Angola’s ambition to gain more influence across the diamond value chain, from production to marketing. It would also strengthen the country’s position in global diamond markets at a time when African producers are seeking to capture more value from their natural resources.
Government officials say further details on production plans and investment discussions will be disclosed as negotiations continue.
