Lupita Nyong’o Instagram – I recently had the opportunity to visit Namibia 🇳🇦 (for the first time!) and South Africa 🇿🇦 with my partners at De Beers. On this trip, I wanted to experience the ways that diamonds impact the citizens in the region they are found and see with my own eyes where and how they are sourced.
In Windhoek, Namibia, and in the Limpopo province of South Africa, I met with locals, elected officials, non-profit groups, and De Beers’ team members. Conny Makutu, Mine Overseer at the Venetia mine showed me around the sophisticated operation 500m below the Earth’s surface. And Elize Katanga, a diamond sorter at NDTC – a joint venture between the Namibian Government and De Beers, walked me through the intricate process of evaluating and categorizing these precious stones. I witnessed first hand the pride they all have in the natural wealth of their countries and the innovative work they do to contribute to the countries’ greater wealth and prosperity.
The diamond industry is a key source of opportunity for national growth and development, contributing a significant percentage of the countries’ GDP, providing jobs, enhancing infrastructure like roads, schools, and health facilities, and funding local programs in conservation, gender equity initiatives and entrepreneurship. And I was able to experience all these buzz words I had heard in ACTION!
I’d like to send my heartfelt thanks to all of the individuals and groups who hosted me in South Africa and Namibia. Thank you for opening the doors to your workplaces, passionately showing me around, patiently answering all my questions and enthusiastically sharing with me the bounty of your culture and resources! @ndtcnamibia, the #EntreprenHER collective (@unwomen), Namibia’s former First Lady @monicageingos, HE President Nangolo Mbumba and First Lady of Namibia (@namibianpresidency), @befreenamibia, Womeng and every single person along the way. I’d welcome another chance to visit. 🫶🏿 | Posted on 13/Sep/2024 21:38:16
