| Eurostar: Looking to Africa to Polish Its Diamonds - The New York Times |
| Friday, 17 September 2004 01:00 |
|
GABORONE, Botswana, Sept. 16 - Eurostar Diamond Traders, the large diamond company based in Belgium, broke ground here this week in Botswana's capital city on what will eventually be the largest cutting and polishing factory in Africa. Forty Botswana workers are already being taught the delicate skill, and by 2008, the three-story, $6 million building will house 1,000 workers in an industry that has been slow to come to southern Africa despite the region's diamond wealth. Although five of the top seven diamond-producing countries are in Africa, most of the world's diamonds are polished elsewhere. India, the world leader, employs 800,000 to 1 million people in polishing. Full article... |