LONDON, July 25,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Academy Award-winning actress
and De Beers Global Ambassador, Lupita
Nyong'o, visited South
Africa and Namibia last
week as part of an immersive tour to experience the impact that
natural diamonds create for the people and places they come
from.
In South Africa, Ms Nyong'o
visited De Beers Group's world-class Venetia diamond mine, gaining
an appreciation for how every stage of the production value chain
supports sustainable development for host communities. She was also
taken on a tour of the 32,000 hectare Venetia Limpopo Nature
Reserve adjacent to the mine, which is owned and managed by De
Beers and provides protected habitat for a wide array of flora
and fauna, including threatened and endangered species, as part of
De Beers Group's wide-ranging conservation efforts.
In Namibia, Ms Nyong'o visited
the NDTC (Namibian Diamond Trading Company) and Namdeb, both 50:50
joint ventures between the Namibian Government and De Beers. NDTC
sorts and values rough diamonds discovered in the country and also
sells rough diamonds to Namibia-based diamond polishing companies.
Namdeb Holdings is Namibia's
world-class diamond producer, discovering some of the highest value
diamonds in the world.
During her visits to both countries, Ms Nyong'o was shown how De
Beers is empowering communities local to its operations through
projects that support equal opportunities for women and girls,
promote education and early childhood development, advance local
entrepreneurs and provide essential infrastructure support such as
water and road upgrades.
A vocal proponent for women and girls, Ms Nyong'o also paid a
visit to the #BeFree Campus in Namibia, a youth facility that provides
reproductive health services and skills training, founded by the
former First Lady of Namibia, Mrs
Monica Geingos. She also attended a
gala dinner attended by the Minister in the Office of the
Presidency and high-ranking business leaders. Concluding her time
in Namibia, Ms Nyong'o made a
courtesy visit to the Namibian President, Dr Nangolo Mbumba, who
praised her efforts to learn about the positive contribution that
natural diamonds make to the country's economy.
Reflecting on her visit, Ms Nyong'o said: "I've had a
relationship with De Beers Jewellers collections for a while now
and I was very curious to go to the source and experience the
journey a diamond makes first-hand. It was a pleasure to meet with
people working in South Africa and
Namibia's diamond industries, and
I was especially struck by the female staff who are breaking
barriers and having real success in a sector that has traditionally
been the realm of men. It was illuminating and inspiring to
meet women from the surrounding communities who occupy and thrive
in technical roles, as drill operators, geologists, and
engineers.
"I have come to this region to observe and absorb for myself
what diamonds are doing for people here and I have already
witnessed how much more there is to their story. They have touched
the lives of very many people and it is clear that the effects of
diamonds on the society are as prismatic as the diamonds
themselves."
Sandrine Conseiller, CEO of De
Beers Brands, said: "We were delighted to host Lupita in
South Africa and Namibia and show her the positive impact that
natural diamonds are making all the way through the value chain.
There can be a lot of misperceptions about diamond mining, so it
was a real pleasure to give Lupita the opportunity to experience
our world-class operations, our strong commitment to sustainability
and some of the vital ways that a De Beers diamond supports and
advances the people and places it came from.
"From visiting our majestic Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve to
meeting some of the inspiring women enrolled in our EntreprenHER
programme, she was also able to gain deeper insights into the
myriad wider socioeconomic benefits that natural diamonds create.
By working in close partnership with our host countries and
communities, we maximise the impact of our activities and are
incredibly proud that De Beers natural diamonds are a true catalyst
for sustainable development."
About De Beers Group
Established in 1888, De Beers Group is the world's leading
diamond company with expertise in the exploration, mining,
marketing and retailing of diamonds. Together with its joint
venture partners, De Beers Group employs more than 20,000 people
across the diamond pipeline and is the world's largest diamond
producer by value, with diamond mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South
Africa. Innovation sits at the heart of De Beers Group's
strategy as it develops a portfolio of offers that span the diamond
value chain, including its jewellery houses, De Beers Jewellers and
Forevermark, and other pioneering solutions such as diamond
sourcing and traceability initiatives Tracr and GemFair. De Beers
Group also provides leading services and technology to the diamond
industry in the form of education and laboratory services via De
Beers Institute of Diamonds and a wide range of diamond sorting,
detection and classification technology systems via De Beers Group
Ignite. De Beers Group is committed to 'Building Forever,' a
holistic and integrated approach for creating a better future –
where safety, human rights and ethical integrity continue to be
paramount; where communities thrive and the environment is
protected; and where there are equal opportunities for all. De
Beers Group is a member of the Anglo American plc group. For
further information, visit www.debeersgroup.com.
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SOURCE De Beers Group