De Beers Makes Namibian Mining School Donation

Diamond mining giant De Beers has announced a charitable donation of N$2.1 million (US$301,000) to the Namibia Institute of Mining and Technology (NIMT), to acquire buildings for its Northern Campus in Tsumeb.

NIMT is Namibia’s premier institution for artisan training and now has two campuses, the main one in Arandis. 64 students were enrolled in the Northern Campus the first year, and this number is expected to grow to 214 by 2009.

De Beers Chairman Nicky Oppenheimer announced at the inaugural ceremony the creation of the De Beers Namibia Fund, through which De Beers plans to support Corporate Social Investment in Namibia. He also noted that the NIMT was the first beneficiary of this new program.