Sierra-leonian Pastor Emmanuel Momoh Hands Over Discovered Diamond To The Government

Pastor Emmanuel Momoh, a pastor in Sierra Leone has discovered the largest uncut diamond found in more than four decades in this West African country and has turned it over to the government.

According to the Nigerian Vanguard, Pastor Emmanuel Momoh found the 706-carat alluvial diamond in Yakadu village in Sierra Leone’s diamond-rich east, and it was presented to President Ernest Bai Koroma on Wednesday, said presidential spokesman, Abdulai Bayraytay.

The yellowish gem, a bit smaller than a hockey puck, is the second-largest diamond ever found in Sierra Leone. In 1972, the 968.9-carat Star of Sierra Leone was found by miners and sold for about US$2.5 million.

Momoh said that he turned in the diamond because he was touched by the development being undertaken in Kono District, where the gem was found. He cited road construction and improvements to electricity after almost 30 years of blackouts.

Pastor Momoh saying that he hopes the diamond will help to boost recent development in his impoverished nation.

I believe the government can do more, especially at a time when the country is undergoing some economic challenges, he said.

You would recall that Sierra Leone’s diamond wealth fueled a decade-long civil war that ended in 2002. Despite its mineral wealth, the country remains one of the poorest in the world and it was not immediately clear how the pastor came across the diamond.