By: Saidu Jalloh
The Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources of the Republic of Sierra Leone and Chairman of the Africa Diamond Producers Association (ADPA), Hon. Julius Daniel Mattai, on Monday led a Government of Sierra Leone delegation to the 2025 Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) Plenary Meeting in Dubai.
The delegation included Charles Tom Kamanda, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources (MMMR); Dr. Kelvin Anderson, Deputy Director-General of the National Minerals Agency (NMA); Mohamed Bah, Director of Precious Minerals Trading (PMT), NMA; Dr. John David Cooper, Director of Policy, MMMR; Alpha U. Bah, Small-Scale Mining and Compliance Coordinator (PMT), NMA; Kalawa Conteh Jr., Junior Diamond Valuer (PMT), NMA; and Isata Zubairu, Executive Officer, NMA. Sierra Leone remains an active member of several KP Working Groups, including the Working Group on Monitoring (WGM), the Working Group of Diamond Experts (WGDE), and the Working Group on Artisanal and Alluvial Production (WGAAP).
The plenary was officially opened by Ahmed Bin Sulayem, the KP Chair, who urged delegates to strive for unanimity as the global diamond industry faces geopolitical pressures and declining demand for natural diamonds. He stressed the importance of renewed momentum toward consensus on key resolutions and proposed amendments shaping the sector. The Chair also highlighted advancements in artificial intelligence for diamond traceability and the potential development of KP-aligned frameworks for critical minerals.
Additional insights came from Ms. Feriel Zerouki, President of the World Diamond Council, alongside several technical experts who addressed emerging challenges in the diamond supply chain.
A major focus of the plenary was the global review of the definition of conflict diamonds. Many delegates emphasized the need to modernize the definition to reflect present-day risks and operational realities throughout the value chain.
A proposal from Ukraine seeking to expand the definition to include “armed actors” instead of “armed groups” was also debated. The proposal was overwhelmingly rejected by participants including Sierra Leone, Cameroon, China, and India on the grounds that it failed to follow required KPCS procedures and attempted to introduce amendments outside the mandate of the Process.
On the sidelines of the meeting, ADPA Chair Hon. Mattai held strategic discussions with the KP Chair to explore areas of collaboration, strengthen consensus-building efforts, and coordinate future engagement between ADPA and KP leadership.
Throughout the plenary, various KP Working Groups held technical sessions in which the Sierra Leone delegation actively participated and made significant contributions.
