Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources, Julius Daniel Mattai,
By Aminata Abu Bakarr Kamara
Sierra Leone is reaffirming its global leadership in ethical diamond governance as Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources, Julius Daniel Mattai, leads a high-level delegation to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) Intersessional Meeting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the summit, taking place from May 11 to 16, 2025, brings together key international stakeholders to strengthen the responsible trade of rough diamonds.
Minister Mattai’s delegation includes senior officials such as Nancy Tengbeh, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources; Dr. Kelvin Anderson, Deputy Director-General of the National Minerals Agency (NMA) Mohamed Bah, Director of Precious Minerals Trading; and Mohamed Salieu Bah, Manager of Audit and Trading.
Sierra Leone plays a leading role in the KPCS through active participation in three key working groups: the Working Group on Monitoring (WGM), the Working Group of Diamond Experts (WGDE), and the Working Group on Artisanal and Alluvial Production (WGAAP). These bodies are central to ensuring that the global diamond supply chain remains transparent, accountable, and free from conflict.
As Chair of the African Diamond Producers Association (ADPA), Minister Mattai also presided over the ADPA Pre-KPCS Intersessional Meeting at SO/Uptown Tower in Dubai. Discussions focused on crucial issues including the possible redefinition of conflict diamonds, ADPA’s formal position on current KPCS reforms, the ongoing crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR), and preparations for the 2026 KPCS Vice-Chairmanship.
In both his opening and closing remarks, Minister Mattai delivered a powerful call for unity and integrity. He reminded delegates of the core mission of the Kimberley Process: to prevent rough diamonds from fueling armed conflict and human rights abuses, we gather not as mere national delegates, he said, but as guardians of a shared vision to ensure diamonds are used as instruments of peace, not conflict.
He cautioned against recent attempts to politicize the Kimberley Process by introducing unrelated global conflicts particularly the Russia-Ukraine way into its mandate, the Kimberley Process was never intended to solve global political crises, he stated. Its mandate is clear: to prevent the use of rough diamonds in financing rebel violence.
Mattai stressed that expanding the scope of the KPCS beyond its core mission could lead to fragmentation, inefficiency, and loss of credibility.
Efforts to broaden the KPCS’s scope risk stalling progress, diluting its purpose, and sowing division,” he warned. “This is not a call to ignore global suffering, but a call to protect a unique mandate one that has saved lives and transformed entire industries, especially across Africa, in a passionate closing statement, Minister Mattai urged delegates to rise above political distractions and preserve the KPCS as a beacon of responsible trade:
Let us shield the Kimberley Process from politicization so it can continue to shine as a symbol of ethical trade and peace for all diamond-producing nations, as the KPCS Intersessional meeting continues, Sierra Leone’s delegation is expected to maintain its principled stance defending the integrity of the process while promoting peace, transparency, and sustainable development in the global diamond industry.
Copy right –Printed in the Expo Times News on Friday, May 14th, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
