Antwerp, Belgium – January 9, 2012: Burhan Seber, president of the Diamond Manufacturers Association of Namibia (DAIMAN), was appointed to the Diamond Board of Namibia by Honourable Isak Katali, Namibia’s Minister of Mines & Energy, for a term of four years. DIAMAN is one of the 16 members of the International Diamond Manufacturers Association, the representative body of the world’s diamond manufacturers. DIAMAN joined IDMA in 2009. Seber is the MD and majority shareholder of Hardstone Processing (Pty.) Ltd., one of the 12 sightholders of the Namibian Diamond Trading Company (NDTC).
Namibia’s Diamond Board consists of 14 government-appointed members. The body advises the minister on matters relating to the diamond industry and particularly to the control and protection of the country’s diamond resources.
“The board’s main objective is to safeguard and maximize the benefits of this finite natural resource for Namibia, in line with ‘GRN’s Vision 2030 which sets targets to eradicate poverty by 2030. This is especially important today when the global diamond industry is at crossroads, and where producer countries are the most vulnerable. It is an honor to be appointed to the Board and as such be entrusted to advise the minister in affairs of such national importance,” Seber noted.
IDMA President Maxim Shkadov and Secretary General Ronnie VanderLinden sent a congratulatory message to Seber. “We’re confident that your appointment and your active involvement in the Board’s work will be a tremendous asset to the diamond manufacturing industry in Namibia and also will be beneficial to the communications between the manufacturers and the various governmental offices and institutions that regulate the diamond industry,” they wrote.
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