In its latest Report to Society, diamond miner De Beers has announced that “it increased returns to governments, communities, supply chain partners and its joint venture partners by 26% to $5 billion in 2016”, Gem Konnect reports.
The funds were delivered through “taxes, payments for goods and services and dividends”. De Beers added that it sold “$1.4 billion of rough diamonds to local cutting and polishing businesses within its producer countries – a more than 70% increase on 2015” – as part of its in-country beneficiation strategy.
The reports also adds that De Beers supplied “more than 640 jobs and 120 businesses through enterprise development projects in southern Africa” as well managing 164,000 hectares of land for conservation.
