The International Gemological Institute announced March 14 plans to establish a school of gemology in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
 
The establishment of the school follows the Dec. 13 signed agreement between IGI and the Centre of Expertise, Evaluation, and Certification of Precious Minerals and Semi-precious Stones of Congo to initiate the project under the sponsorship of the European Union, the Coordinator of the European Fund for Development, and the Platform for Governance Support.
 
Project leaders from all affiliated organizations met to discuss initial plans earlier this month in Kinshasa.
 
“The establishment of a school of gemology is of paramount importance as it will provide the Congo diamond industry the necessary experts, professional support, and instruction in order to contribute to improving the accuracy of the country’s collection of mineral revenues,” stated IGI CEO Roland Lorié in a statement.
 
After several months of preliminary training in Antwerp, IGI will deploy a group of experts to assist the CEEC under the guidance of the EU and the PAG. These representatives will utilize IGI methodology and establish several defined stages of preparation prior to the school’s opening.
 
According to the Kimberley Process, the Democratic Republic of Congo is the second largest producer of diamonds in the world.

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