Sierra Leone’s Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources, Julius Daniel Mattai, has chaired the 13th Extraordinary Meeting of the African Diamond Producers Association (ADPA) Council of Ministers in Luanda, Angola, where major decisions were adopted to strengthen Africa’s influence over the global diamond industry.
The meeting formed part of ADPA’s 20th anniversary celebrations, held from 2 to 5 November 2026, commemorating the 2006 Luanda Declaration signed by twelve African Governments.
Julius Daniel Mattai, who chairs the ADPA Council of Ministers for 2025–2027, led a delegation comprising Permanent Secretary, Charles Tom Kamanda, National Minerals Agency Deputy Director-General, Dr Kelvin Anderson, Director of Precious Minerals Trading, Mohamed M. Bah and Senior Diamond Valuer, Massah Koroma.
On 3 November, Charles Tom Kamanda chaired the ADPA Committee of Experts meeting, which reviewed the anniversary declaration, 2027 budget, procurement reforms and Botswana’s application for membership. Technical discussions also examined the African-developed Sustainable Diamond Standard, designed to strengthen diamond traceability and international market confidence.
Addressing the Council of Ministers on 4 November, Julius Daniel Mattai highlighted declining global diamond prices, growing competition from laboratory-grown diamonds and Africa’s limited influence over international pricing.
He disclosed that global rough diamond production value had fallen by 42 per cent since 2022, while Sierra Leone’s recorded production declined by approximately 80 per cent following the closure of a major mine.
“Why does the continent that holds the richest diamond deposits on earth hold so little of the power to decide what those diamonds are worth?” Julius Daniel Mattai questioned.
Under his chairmanship, the Council admitted Botswana as an Observer, adopted the ADPA@20 Declaration and approved the Five Ngomas strategy, covering One Voice, One Standard, One Market, One Intelligence and One Force. It also approved the 2027 Annual Performance Plan, comprising five objectives and twenty projects.
Delivering the anniversary keynote address, Julius Daniel Mattai emphasized Africa’s growing importance in global diamond production, accounting for 54 per cent by volume and over 60 per cent by value.
“Origin is the product. And the origin is ours,” Julius Daniel Mattai declared.
He announced that African producers would present a unified position at the forthcoming Kimberley Process Plenary in New Delhi. He also highlighted the ADPA position adopted in Freetown in May 2026, advocating separate marketing standards for natural and laboratory-grown diamonds.
On 5 November, Julius Daniel Mattai participated in the Luanda Accord Meeting on financing global natural diamond marketing. He pledged Sierra Leone’s political and technical support and announced plans to seek Cabinet approval for a financial contribution.
Julius Daniel Mattai further proposed an ADPA Fund to coordinate African contributions, supported by transparent financial reporting.
On the sidelines, Julius Daniel Mattai met Botswana’s Minister of Minerals and Energy, Bogolo Joy Kenewendo. Both Ministers agreed to initiate discussions towards a cooperation agreement covering diamond exploration, mining, cutting, polishing and value addition.
The proposed partnership could strengthen Sierra Leone’s mining capacity, improve diamond traceability and create opportunities for local processing.
For more than 120,000 Sierra Leoneans dependent on diamond mining, the decisions offer prospects for improved livelihoods, investment and greater national benefits from mineral resources.
Julius Daniel Mattai maintained that Africa’s success should ultimately be measured by improved education, healthcare, employment and opportunities for mining communities, rather than diamond production alone.
