Sierra Leone: Diamond Exports in Ebola-hit Sierra Leone Plummet in 2015

Feb 25, 2016 | Agence France-Presse
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Diamond exports from Sierra Leone saw a steep fall in 2015, the deputy minister for mines said Wednesday, February 24, with miners restricted from working while the Ebola virus ravaged the country. The Deputy Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources, Abdul Ignost Koroma, told journalists "diamond exports in 2015 were 500,039 carats compared to 620,181 carats in 2014," down 20%. The fall in value of the exports was even greater, from $221 million to $154 million year-on-year, he said, a drop of 30%.