De Beers Announces Project To Help Diggers in Tanzania- Oct.2006

De Beers and the government of Tanzania have announced a $2 million project to help improve the lives of so-called "informal" diamond miners in Tanzania who work in streams and river beds.

The goal of the De Beers project is to provide these miners, who often live in total poverty, 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," said Jonathan Oppenheimer of De Beers

Oppenheimer made the remarks as part of a meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative in New York. It is itself news to see someone with the name "Oppenheimer" appearing in New York.

This commitment reflects its participation in the Diamond Development Initiative (DDI). De Beers chose Tanzania for the project because the Government asked for its help, and the company already had mining operations in the country.

"It is only through developing and maximizing all its natural resources that a sustainable future for Africa and its people can be secured," concludes Nicky Oppenheimer, Chairman of De Beers.

The objectives of the Community Diamond Partnership in Tanzania are to alleviate poverty and accelerate sustainable socio-economic development. v