Katoka, the Angolan state-owned diamond company, will soon sign an agreement that will see it join up with a Zimbabwean company to mine in the Marange region, Mining Weekly reports. Zimbabwe's Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe announced the deal, which emerged from the recent Mining Indaba Conference in South Africa, as part of an initiative to promote partnerships between African companies and African nations.

Mines and Mining Development Minister Obert Mpofu said Zimbabwe is open to diamond companies from other countries, such as India, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan that are interested in Zimbabwe's rough stones. Mpofu noted that other rough diamond producing countries, such as Canada, Russia and Botswana are seeing their supplies decline.

Angola's Katoca currently produces approximately eight million carats of rough diamonds annually, while the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation believes almost 17 million carats will be unearthed in Zimbabwe in 2013, according to Mining Weekly.