Zimbabwe is indeed endowed with vast mineral resources as the country is now the world’s seventh biggest diamond producer. The gems’ output at more than four million carats fetch around US$420 million per year, according to figures released by the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS).
KPCS says Botswana is the biggest diamond producer in the world at US$4 billion per year.
Botswana is trailed by Russian, Angola, Canada, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Sierra Leone and Tanzania – in that order.
KPCS regulates the production, processing, and trade of diamonds.
However, despite Zimbabwe being named among the top 10 diamond producers globally, there is still high levels of poverty and infrastructure decay compared to other nations which produce diamond such as Botswana, Russia, South Africa, and Canada.-Zimseen
