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De Beers pledges funds to aid alluvial miners in Tanzania

September 22, 2006

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New York—Speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York this week, De Beers Director Jonathan Oppenheimer and Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete announced a $2 million project to help improve the lives of alluvial or "informal" diamond miners in Tanzania.

The project's goal is to provide miners with access to fair-market pricing and healthcare.

"De Beers does not have a business interest in informal mining, but we cannot sit idly by and watch millions of African miners and their families suffer," Oppenheimer said in a statement. "While we may not have all the solutions or expertise, we hope to work in partnership with those that do to give this program the best chance of success."

Despite the value of the diamonds they mine, nearly 1.3 million diggers-who grab stones that occasionally wash up in streams and river beds-live in abject poverty across western and central Africa. Because the mining is informal, middlemen and rogue traders frequently exploit the workers. Their plight is among the top ethical issues facing the diamond industry.

De Beers will be working with the government of Tanzania and several non-governmental organizations on the project, with the hope of creating a workable model that can be applied to other countries with alluvial diamond miners, including Sierra Leone, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo. De Beers is also involved in the multi-stakeholder Diamond Development Initiative, which is seeking solutions to the informal diamond-mining challenge.

Tanzania was chosen for the project because De Beers has operations in the country, and the government sought assistance.

"This is an example of the business-government partnerships we seek to build and sustain," said Kikwete. "Together, we can proclaim to Tanzanians that business is critical to the success of our development efforts."

Unlike in countries that consist largely of alluvial diamond mines, formal mining in places such as South Africa, Namibia and Botswana has helped fuel economic growth. In Botswana, mining revenue accounts for 30 percent of its gross domestic product, and it has been able to invest heavily in education and healthcare.
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