The African Diamond Producers Association (ADPA) convened its Pre-Meeting ahead of the 2025 Kimberley Process (KP) Plenary in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, bringing together delegates from member states to harmonize a collective African position before the global conference. The meeting was chaired by Hon. Julius Daniel Mattai, the current Chairman of ADPA and Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources of Sierra Leone, who underscored the importance of African unity in shaping decisions that directly affect the continent’s diamond-producing nations.
In his opening remarks, Minister Mattai reaffirmed ADPA’s commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the diamond sector and strengthening Africa’s collective voice within the Kimberley Process. He encouraged delegates to engage constructively and ensure that Africa presents a coherent and unified stance at this year’s Plenary.
He emphasized that for the 2025 KP Plenary, ADPA must organize and consolidate its position, noting that a coordinated approach enhances Africa’s negotiating power, ensures shared priorities are effectively articulated, and strengthens the credibility of diamond-producing countries in international deliberations.
A major issue discussed was the global debate on revising the definition of conflict diamonds. The Delegates highlighted the need to modernize the definition to reflect contemporary challenges in the diamond value chain. The meeting stressed that Africa must adopt a unified position to effectively advocate for its interests at the Plenary. Members unanimously agreed that diamond-producing communities should be incorporated into the updated definition, arguing that such inclusion promotes transparency, protects vulnerable populations, and ensures that communities directly affected by mining benefit from a more inclusive governance framework.
The meeting also reviewed developments regarding the KP Chairmanship for 2026 and beyond. The Delegates noted that Zimbabwe, which had previously expressed interest in assuming the Chairmanship in 2026, had withdrawn its application and intended to pursue the position at a later date. It was also highlighted that Ghana, which had shown interest in the Vice-Chairmanship, neither attended the meeting nor sent a representative, and did not participate virtually. Concerns were raised about the resulting uncertainty surrounding the succession of the KP Chairmanship following the United Arab Emirates’ tenure.
The Delegates further suggested that if Africa faces challenges in reaching internal consensus on a candidate for Chairmanship, ADPA should consider supporting non-member countries that have expressed interest. It was confirmed that Qatar had not withdrawn its candidacy, although its previous bid had been blocked by another participant.
In conclusion, the ADPA Pre-Meeting reaffirmed the importance of unity, collaboration, and proactive engagement among African diamond-producing nations.The Delegates committed to finalizing a consolidated African position for presentation at the 2025 Kimberley Process Plenary in Dubai, ensuring that Africa’s interests and the welfare of its diamond-producing communities remain central to global dialogue.