Camissombo

Camissombo
commune
Camissombo Location in Angola
Coordinates: 8°09′23″S 20°39′23″E
Country	Angola
Province	Lunda Norte
Area
• Total	3,500 km^2 (1,400 sq mi)
Population  (2014)
• Total	15,302
• Density	4.4/km^2 (11/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (WAT)

Camissombo is a town and commune of Angola, located in the Lucapa municipality in the province of Lunda Norte.^[1][2][3]

Economy

Diamond mining

Since 2023, Camissombo has been producing diamonds out of the 508 square kilometer Sociedade Mineira Yetwene (SMY) mine in the Chicapa River basin. SMY is a partnership between ENDIAMA, Mountain Stability, the Sociedade Mineira de Investimentos da Lunda, and All Magic, Lda.

In 2024, Vánia Ferreira, the person in charge of planning and operating SMY, announced a planned expansion of the mining operation that is expected to more than quadruple its ore treatment capacity and increase monthly diamond production from three thousand to thirteen thousand carats. According to Ferreira, the mine employs 224 people, and is expected to increase that number by 45% once the expansion is complete.^[4][5][6]

Infrastructure and services

Estrada Nacional nº 180, a dirt highway, runs north-south through Camissombo, connecting it in the north to EN-190 and EN-223 at Dundo and in the south to Lucapa and Saurimo.

Camissombo is one of 15 locations selected by Minister of Energy and Water João Baptista Borges to host a new solar park as part of the Lunda Norte Rural Electrification initiative by the project's planned completion in 2027. When the project is complete, the new solar parks are expected to together generate 256 megawatts of solar energy for the communities they serve.^[7]

The Escola do Camissombo has spaces for 120 students, and was recently renovated as part of the obligations of SMY.^[6] SMY has also partnered with the University of Luanda to provide arts education in Camissombo and internships to UniLuanda students.^[8]

Demographics

Religion

Religious affiliation (2014)
Protestant			61.4%
Catholic			12.3%
Indigenous religions			6.2%
Muslim			3.4%
Jewish			0.6%
Other religion			3.3%
Unaffiliated			12.8%
All figures from 2014 census

Camissombo has a mostly Christian population, with the majority of the population identifying as Protestant or Catholic in 2024. 942 people identified as practicing an indigenous religion, making them, viewed together, the second largest religious group after Christianity.^[9]

Age

Population by age group

All figures according to 2014 census

See also

• Communes of Angola
• Mining industry of Angola

References

1. "Census 2014". Official Portal of the 2014 INE Angola Census. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
2. "Camissombo". google maps. Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
3. "Camissombo (Commune, Angola) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
4. grxnet.com. "Jornal de Angola - Notícias - SMY prevê produzir 13 mil quilates de diamantes/mês". Jornal de Angola (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
5. "Lunda-Norte: Arranca na próxima quinta-feira a exploração de diamantes no ″Projecto Yetwene″". Novo Jornal (in Portuguese). 2023-04-25. Archived from the original on 2024-07-28. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
6. "Projecto Yetwene arranca oficialmente com produção". VerAngola (in Portuguese). 2023-04-28. Archived from the original on 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
7. grxnet.com. "Jornal de Angola - Notícias - Planos do sector da Energia prevêem 15 parques solares". Jornal de Angola (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2024-08-14. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
8. grxnet.com. "Jornal de Angola - Notícias - Estudantes da Faculdade de Artes recebem apoios para projectos". Jornal de Angola (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-07-27.
9. "Camissombo (Commune, Angola) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Archived from the original on 2023-05-28. Retrieved 2024-07-27.

8°09′25″S 20°39′23″E