Namibia Explores Direct Rough Diamond Link With India’s Diamond Industry

Key Highlights

First official Namibian delegation: Six-day industry visit led by Deputy Minister Gaudentia Krohne.
Direct rough diamond trade: Delegation explored potential supply of Namibian rough diamonds to BDB members through IDTC.
Special Notified Zone: IDTC visit focused on India’s rough-diamond viewing and trading infrastructure.
Mine-to-manufacturing link: Discussions covered BDB, GJEPC, SEEPZ, Bharat Ratnam and Indian jewellery manufacturers.
Wider industry collaboration: Visit explored stronger India–Namibia cooperation across mining, trading, manufacturing and the broader diamond pipeline.

Six-day official delegation visits BDB, IDTC and SEEPZ, exploring opportunities for direct supply, trading, manufacturing and wider industry collaboration.

Mumbai, August 17, 2026: The Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB) hosted an official delegation from Namibia led by Ms. Gaudentia Krohne, Hon’ble Deputy Minister, Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energy, Government of Namibia, in what BDB described as a significant step towards strengthening mine-to-manufacturing collaboration between the two countries.

The six-day visit brought the Namibian delegation into direct contact with different segments of India’s diamond and jewellery ecosystem and concluded with Ms. Krohne attending the BDB’s Independence Day celebrations as Chief Guest on August 15.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Krohne said:

“We are proud to be present here to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Indian independence and are confident that this first step will help us deepen our bonds and ensure a mutually beneficial collaboration between the diamond and jewellery industries in our two countries.”

BDB Chairman Anoop Mehta said:

“It was BDB’s privilege to play host to the Namibian delegation led by Hon. Dy Minister Ms Krohne and to have them join all Indian’s in celebrating Independence day at BDB. Partnerships established at the industry level will definitely strengthen the economies of both India and Namibia.”

Mehul Shah, VP, BDB, said:

“The visit has established an important foundation to further develop the direct connect between Indian diamond manufacturers and the mining companies of Namibia. We believe that strengthening direct collaboration between mining and manufacturing segments and extending it across the pipeline will give a boost to the global diamond industry.”

Exploring Direct Rough Diamond Supply

A key part of the visit was the delegation’s interaction with the India Diamond Trading Centre (IDTC), a Special Notified Zone (SNZ) for rough-diamond viewing and trading within the BDB complex.

The delegation expressed interest in exploring the direct supply of Namibian rough diamonds to BDB members through the facility, following discussions around recent tax-law amendments that provide a 15-year income-tax exemption for eligible companies selling rough diamonds through Special Notified Zones.

This development gives the visit particular significance against the backdrop of India’s proposed reforms aimed at strengthening its position as a global rough diamond trading hub.

From Mining to Manufacturing

The delegation also held discussions with leaders of the Indian diamond industry, including BDB and GJEPC committees, as well as jewellery manufacturers at SEEPZ.

At SEEPZ, the delegation examined the zone’s ecosystem and operations and visited leading jewellery manufacturers. It also visited the Mega Common Facilities Centre, Bharat Ratnam, to understand the advanced technology and manufacturing infrastructure available to companies operating within the ecosystem.

The delegation further studied other components of India’s export ecosystem, including laboratories such as GIA and organisations including Diamond India Ltd.

The visit also included meetings with Indian diamantaires who have established business connections with Namibia through the diamond trade.

Building a Direct Industry-to-Industry Connection

The BDB said the delegation’s exposure to India’s diamond infrastructure, integrated ecosystem and manufacturing capabilities provided a first-hand understanding of the scale and quality of the country’s industry.

For Namibia, one of Africa’s important diamond-producing countries, and India, the world’s established diamond processing and manufacturing centre, the discussions point towards the possibility of strengthening connections across the diamond value chain.

The six-day visit therefore represents more than a diplomatic engagement. It provides an early opportunity to explore how rough-diamond supply, trading infrastructure and India’s manufacturing capabilities could be connected more directly.

With India simultaneously moving towards a new policy framework for international rough-diamond trading, the timing of the Namibian delegation’s visit adds another dimension to the country’s ambitions in this segment.