The African Diamond Producers Association (ADPA) Council of Ministers, which concluded its 9th extraordinary meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe, has reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable diamond mining practices by recommending the sustainable diamond mining standard (SDS) as the continent's first diamond mining standard.
ADPA said the SDS will be phased in early next year in member states focussing on both the artisanal and small-scale mining sector (ASM) as well as large-scale miners (LSM).
The ADPA Council of Ministers also suggested that ADPA take part in the informal Diamond Dialogue Platform that BRICS is setting up.
Meanwhile, Sierra Leone will next year chair ADPA.
Zimbabwe had been chairing the association for two years and helped with the establishment of the executive directorate, among other key strategic initiatives.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief, Rough&Polished
