The current state of diamond mining in the Mano River Basin and the use of diamonds as a tool for peacebuilding and development

This report is prepared within the framework of the Diamonds for Development programme (D4D), which directly targets the role that mineral resources have played in conflict and can play for development. The report describes the current state of the diamond industry in West Africa, providing both an overview of the sub-region and detailed analysis of each country.

The D4D programme includes complementary activities at sub-regional and national levels for policy reforms and also activities at local/community levels to improve local governance. D4D also aims to improve livelihoods of diamond producing communities, demonstrating that with equitable, transparent and accountable management of mineral resources it is possible to reverse the resource curse and fight poverty.

The report is based on a series of visits to working diamond mines, interviews with diggers, mine owners, traders, exporters, government officials and NGOs. It identifies possible ways of using diamonds as a tool for development rather than a fuel for conflict, including how to deliver a larger part of the revenue from diamonds to the miners themselves and to the rural communities that host them, plus strategies for making artisanal mine owners more efficient and profitable and less financially dependent on the traders who buy their stones. It also suggests ways of improving cooperation and harmonising diamond policy at the regional and international level.