Diamonds
The current state of diamond mining in the Mano River basin and the use of diamonds as a tool for peacebuilding and development
How can diamonds promote development?
Authors:
R. Powell; M. Yahya; Diamonds for Development
Publisher:
International Alert, 2006
This report describes the current state of the diamond industry in West Africa, providing both an overview of the sub-region and detailed analysis of countries including Cote D’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. It identifies possible ways of using diamonds as a tool for development rather than a fuel for conflict.
Measures discussed to promote ’diamonds for development’ include:
- delivering a larger part of the revenue from diamonds to the miners themselves and to the rural communities that host them
- making artisanal mine owners more efficient and profitable and less financially dependent on the traders who buy their stones
- improving cooperation and harmonising diamond policy at the regional and international level.
