Construction on the Zimbabwe Diamond Education College, an enterprise that seeks to train Zimbabweans as diamond cutters and polishers, has been completed and is ready to be inaugurated, the Zimbabwe Mail reports.

The Mail quoted college director Joseph Banda saying he was optimistic that the college would have a significant impact on the local diamond industry. Banda says that 150 people have already signed up for classes.

Moreover, according to Banda, plans are underway to promote the construction of a similar diamond skills center in the region of the county's Marange diamond fields so as to benefit the residents there.

Last year, a new rough diamond sourcing consortium from Surat, India – SRDSIL – signed a $1.2 billion deal with the Zimbabwean government that would have arranged for Zimbabwe to provide a direct supply of rough diamonds to Surat's diamond industry in exchange for Indian diamond experts training 1,000 young Zimbabweans in skills necessary for the diamond trade.

Implementation of the agreement was delayed due to the ongoing embargo on diamond exports from Zimbabwe.