The African Diamond Council (ADC) has launched a fierce rebuke of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), directing its sharpest criticism at the recent selection of India as the 2026 Chair, a decision it calls a "glaring testament" to the scheme's failure.
In a strongly-worded statement released Thursday, the ADC framed India’s upcoming third chairmanship not as a solution, but as evidence of systemic collapse.
"India's ascension is not necessarily a solution, but more of a symptom of a terminal disease," the Council declared. "This decision, emerging from over a year of geopolitical squabbling and backroom deals, is not a victory for governance, but a glaring testament to the Kimberley Process’ descent into irrelevance."
The ADC specifically condemned the prolonged deadlock that preceded the appointment, noting that the role was vacant for over a year after Thailand withdrew from the vice-chair position.
"That this 'consensus' was achieved only after a year of vacancy speaks not to careful deliberation, but to a desperate scramble to save face," said ADC.
The Council expressed profound scepticism that India, as a major diamond trading and cutting hub with a vested interest in the status quo, would drive meaningful reform for African producers.
It directly challenged the narrative that India's leadership would benefit the continent.
"To claim its chairmanship will 'strengthen compliance' and 'reinforce confidence' is an insult," said ADC.
"We must now ask the question: Compliance with what? A broken system? Confidence for whom? The traders in Surat or the consumers in Mumbai and New York, while artisanal miners in Africa languish in poverty and danger?"
The ADC issued a direct ultimatum, stating that India's tenure will be judged solely on its willingness to enact four radical reforms, including expanding the conflict diamond definition and abolishing the KP's consensus veto rule.
"India's 2026 chairmanship will be judged not by the KP’s empty promises of 'efficient governance,' but by its willingness to enact these fundamental, life-saving reforms," the Council warned. "Failing that, India will simply be presiding over the funeral of its own credibility."
Meanwhile, ADC called the current KP "morally bankrupt" and vowed to no longer encourage African nations to lend legitimacy to a scheme it says prioritises trade over human lives.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor-In-Chief, Rough & Polished
