Diamond experts met in Angola to discuss technical and legal conditions for the setting up of the African Diamond Producing Countries Association (ADPA) later this year. Angolan deputy mining minister Mankenda Ambroise appealed to African diamond producing countries to adopt measures that enable a more active and concerted action so that the diamonds produced in the continent served its development and safeguard its interests. He underlined that Angola has taken the initiative of leading the process of realising this objective. Representatives from Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Cote d‘Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Liberia, Mauritania, Namibia, CAR, Tanzania and Zimbabwe took met in Luanda until the end of last week.

The constitution and proclamation of ADPA will provide a better knowledge of the diamond sector and the exchange of information and technology. Africa has 19 countries with diamond resources, 18 of which are diamond producers. Despite their overall production of 60 percent of raw diamonds of the world market, these countries have a poor participation in defining international strategies.