Somiluana Mining Company recently inaugurated its new sorting plant in the province of Lunda Norte, which will be able to raise production levels to around 15,000 carats of diamonds per month.

The inauguration ceremony was witnessed by members of the ENDIAMA-E.P. Board of Directors, provincial government officials and traditional authorities.

The Chairman of the company, Reinaldo Trindade, said that with the acquisition and installation of the new sorting plant, which has three lines and a treatment capacity of six tons of concentrate per hour, there is renewed hope of increasing diamond production in quantity and quality.

"With this installation, we can see a very promising horizon for increasing our production capacity to 15,000 carats per month in the near future," said the manager, who considered Somiluana to be a "hotbed of talent" that could ensure the future of the country's diamond industry.

He also spoke about the social responsibility projects, which aim to support the surrounding communities, and the environmental projects, to reduce the impact of mining activities, as well as the current number of jobs that the mine has secured for young people in the region.

And the executive director for Mining Operations, Administration and Human Resources at ENDIAMA E.P, Domingos Margarida, who was representing the chairman of the board of directors of Angola National Diamond Company Ganga Júnior, argued on the occasion that the mining companies operating in the diamond sub-sector in Angola should continue to invest, the results of which will make it possible to increase the volume of production and improve the living conditions of the people who live near the diamond exploration areas.

He was also optimistic about reaching this year's production targets, but said that there were still some challenges to be overcome.

"This year hasn't been very good in terms of production, due to many factors that we know about. But we have some targets to reach, and we're going to try to meet them in order to meet the requirements that ENDIAMA has set its shareholders," he said.

With a concession area of 444 square kilometers, the secondary deposit (alluvium) has a 33 percent stake held by Somiluana and 67 percent by ENDIAMA - E.P.