CHAMWE KAIRA
The 176.29-carat diamond named “Owishi” discovered by Namdeb at its Southern Coastal Mine in Oranjemund is the biggest diamond discovered in Namibia in 20 years.
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah unveiled the diamond at a ceremony in Windhoek on Wednesday. The diamond was discovered in May this year.
In Oshiwambo, ‘Owishi’ refers to a rare form of honey found underground and notoriously difficult to locate. Its discovery is considered something special, making it a fitting name for a natural diamond of such exceptional rarity and significance.
According to diamond industry estimates, a 176.29-carat rough diamond can fetch anywhere from US$5 million to over US$25 million at current market prices, depending entirely on its internal clarity, colour grade, and eventual polished yield.
Because diamond pricing scales exponentially with size, a stone of this magnitude is treated as an ultra-rare collector’s piece rather than a typical commercial gem, according to the diamond industry valuation.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said the discovery presents an opportunity to strengthen Namibia’s natural diamond industry and increase the economic value derived from the country’s mineral resources.
The President said diamonds are a Namibian heritage adding that diamonds are the natural resource that have carried Namibia for years, contributing a lot to the Namibian treasury and making the Namibian economy to grow.
“Therefore, this remarkable stone represents the largest diamond of its kind to be discovered at the mine in the past two decades and this must be a clear indication that our diamonds are still there and the natural diamond is here to serve us.”
The President said the discovery was an achievement for Namdeb and a source of immense pride for Namibia and its people.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said the country must position its natural diamonds globally by highlighting their rarity, authenticity, quality and responsible provenance amid changes in the diamond market.
She also wants the country to strengthen its participation in the international diamond value chain through commercially viable opportunities in cutting, polishing, jewelry manufacturing and related industries.
Such initiatives should be guided by economic considerations, market demand and the availability of appropriate skills and technology, she said.
The President said stronger participation in the diamond value chain could help expand economic activity and generate revenue to support public services including education, healthcare, housing and infrastructure development.
The discovery comes at a defining moment for the global diamond industry, which is navigating changing consumer preferences, fluctuations in international prices and growing competition from laboratory grown diamonds.
In light of this, President Nandi Ndaitwah commended Namibia’s diamond industry for its internationally recognised commitment to responsible mining, ethical practices and sound environmental stewardship.
She highlighted Namibia’s successful 50/50 partnership between the Government and the De Beers Group as an example of how cooperation between the public and private sectors can harness the country’s natural resources for national development.
Namibia’s rough diamond production remained broadly unchanged at 531 000 carats during the second quarter ended 30 June 2026, as higher-grade mining at Namdeb offset operational disruptions at Debmarine Namibia, Anglo American said in July.
The country’s production was 556 000 carats in the first quarter of this year. In the last quarter of 2025 production stood 459 000 carats.
The mining group said production in Namibia was supported by the planned mining of higher-grade areas at Namdeb, which largely compensated for the retirement of the Coral Sea vessel in the comparative period and planned maintenance work on Debmarine Namibia’s Mafuta vessel.
