Botswana: Diamond Sorting, Sales to Move From London to Gaborone

Botswana aims to transform itself into an international hub of the world diamond industry, boosted by a deal in which the De Beers mining and sales empire will transfer the… Read more »

Liberia: Iron Ore Moves Again as First Large Post-Conflict Investment is Coming to Fruition

With global demand for steel on the rise, Liberia is re-entering the ranks of the world's significant producers of the iron ore needed to produce it. Read more »

Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai Expects Elections Within 12 Months

Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai exuded confidence to Africa's business leaders this week, upbeat after securing his position at a party congress last weekend and… Read more »

Central African Republic: The Dark Side of Diamonds

The international watchdog which seeks to prevent diamonds from fuelling conflict, the Kimberley Process, should take a very close look at the situation in the Central African… Read more »

Guinea: Rio Tinto Plans Large Increase in Iron-Ore Investment

Rio Tinto has announced plans to invest $170 million in its mining Simandou project in the iron-ore-rich region in south-east Guinea. Read more »

Congo-Kinshasa: Improvements Necessary to Deal with IDPs, U.S. Official Says

Tens of thousands of people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been fleeing a government offensive against Ugandan rebels, adding to the nearly 2.5 million people… Read more »

Liberia: Resources, Post-Conflict Recovery Draw Global Investment

In the latest of several major investment deals, the Liberian government has signed an estimated U.S.$3 billion agreement with Australian mining giant BHP Billiton. Read more »

Zimbabwe: Nation Needs Debt Relief to Recover, Says IMF

Zimbabwe is in a state of "debt distress" and is preparing a request for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative established by international… Read more »

Cameroon: Australian Mining Bosses Die in Air Crash

Eleven people, including Australian mining bosses developing an iron ore project in Cameroon and the Republic of Congo, died when their chartered aircraft crashed in the Congo. Read more »

Cameroon: Three Governments Search for Missing Mining Executives

The governments of three countries – Cameroon, the Republic of Congo and Gabon – are searching for a missing aircraft carrying mining executives from an Australian… Read more »

Zimbabwe: U.S., South Africa Press Govt Over Diamonds

South African and American diplomats said this week that they expected Zimbabwe to implement "stringent controls" according to a "very tight work plan" to make the country's… Read more »

Zimbabwe: Failure to Act on Abuses Threatens Conflict Diamond Process

The decision to give Zimbabwe no more than a slap on the wrist for the human rights abuses which its army has committed on the Marange alluvial diamond fields in the south-east of… Read more »

Congo-Kinshasa: End Resource War, Urge Congolese Activists

One hundred years ago, a global outrage surrounding the death of an estimated ten million Congolese resulted in the end the rule of King Leopold II of Belgium over the Congo.… Read more »

Congo-Kinshasa: Peace Campaigners Turn up Heat on Apple, Intel Over Conflict Minerals

The Enough Project, a leading Washington, DC-based advocacy group focusing on genocide and crimes against humanity, is stepping up efforts to end conflict in the Democratic… Read more »

Africa: Diamond Magnate Calls for 'African Way' of Doing Business

A South African businessman whose name is synonymous with the international diamond trade has told an African Union (AU) audience that the global economic crisis was caused by… Read more »

South Africa: Diamond Sold For Record U.S. $9.4 Million

A seven-carat blue diamond discovered at the Cullinan diamond mine near Pretoria has been sold in Geneva for a record price of nearly U.S. $9.5 million. Read more »

Liberia: Diamond Industry Expert Called as First Prosecution Witness

The following entry is reprinted from CharlesTaylorTrial.org, a site covering the war crimes trial of former president Charles Taylor. Read more »

South Africa: Miners Launch Strike Over Safety

Tens of thousands of South African miners held a one-day strike today in support of demands for safer working conditions. Read more »

Africa: Lonrho Plans Comeback

Among international companies operating in Africa, Lonrho has long enjoyed a high profile. Built up by colorful businessman Roland 'Tiny' Rowland, it was an early business… Read more »

Liberia: Despite Obstacles, All Ingredients Are in Place for Mittal to Succeed

A key part of the Liberian government's recovery drive focuses on well-managed exploitation of the country's vast natural resources. Iron ore production began in Liberia in… Read more »

South Africa: Thousands Rescued From Gold Mine

Thousands of miners are being rescued from Elandsrand gold mine near Johannesburg, where they have been trapped since Wednesday morning. Read more »

South Africa: 'Diamonds, Gold, and War' Examines Imperial Power Struggles

Diamonds, Gold, and War: the British, the Boers, and the Making of South Africa Read more »

Guinea: Blood Aluminum?

Most Americans would be hard pressed to find the Republic of Guinea on a map. Not to be confused with Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, or Papua New Guinea, this small West African… Read more »

Guinea: The Case for U.S. Action

While the United States government plans to send an additional 20,000 troops to shore up a flawed military strategy in Iraq, it has failed to support the people of Guinea, where… Read more »

Africa: Blood Diamonds

Greg Campbell's Blood Diamonds is a detailed and long needed look at blood/conflict diamonds. The book inspired the film Blood Diamond, and research from the book was used in the… Read more »