SACIM Struggles with Diamond Sales Restrictions and Financial Challenges in Kasai-Oriental
The Anhui Congo Investment Company (SACIM) in Kasai-Oriental continues to face significant challenges, raising concerns across the region.
On February 26, 2025, a SACIM manager revealed to Actualité.cd that the company, which typically produces an average of 300,000 carats of diamonds per month, is encountering difficulties in selling its diamonds due to newly imposed price restrictions.
Under the terms of Ministerial Decree No. 00049/CAB.MIN/MINES/01/2022, dated February 22, 2022, SACIM is restricted to selling its diamonds to only four buyers, under the oversight of the Center for Expertise and Certification (CEEC). Furthermore, the sale price has been reduced from $12 to $8 per carat.
The manager, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed concern about the company’s ability to meet its obligations. “With this situation, we can no longer fulfill our social responsibilities, pay our agents, provide food and medical care for the staff, renew production tools, or cover costs for fuel and other industrial inputs,” he explained.
Placide Lufuluabo, President of Miabi Civil Society, highlighted growing discontent among SACIM employees. He reported that many workers are contemplating stopping their activities due to more than 10 months of unpaid wages and declining sales, which are damaging production efforts.
“SACIM is threatening to shut down, and we are all too familiar with the economic consequences this would have. We recall the situations of MIBA and BRASIMBA. If SACIM closes, the suffering will only increase,” Lufuluabo stated.
Civil society leaders are urging for an immediate resolution to the issue, calling for the lifting of the exclusive sales restrictions to allow SACIM to sell its diamonds in a competitive market, which could help address the company’s financial difficulties and ensure its continued operations.
