Ghana Strengthens Diamond Export Controls Ahead of Kimberley Process Review

A Kimberley Process delegation representing eight countries arrived in Accra on March 9 to begin a four-day compliance review of Ghana's diamond export regime, prompting the Ghana Gold Board to formally present a suite of governance reforms it has undertaken to ensure the country's diamonds remain conflict-free and traceable from mine to market.

The review, which runs through March 12, 2026, is conducted under the leadership of the Russian Federation and includes officials from Germany, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Mozambique, India, Angola and the United States. Its mandate is straightforward: assess whether Ghana's diamond trade adheres to the standards of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, the international framework designed to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the global supply chain.

Speaking at the opening ceremony in Accra, Sammy Gyamfi, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board, set the tone with a direct statement of intent. "Ghana remains firmly committed to the principles, objectives and requirements of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme," he said. He framed Ghana's participation not as a bureaucratic obligation but as a national one: "Our participation reflects our determination to ensure that diamonds produced and exported from Ghana are handled in full compliance with international standards and contribute meaningfully to national development and the well-being of our people."

The reforms Gyamfi outlined are operational and specific. "Recent years, Ghana has undertaken deliberate reforms to further strengthen governance across the diamond value chain. These include improvement in inspection and verification mechanisms, strengthen internal control systems, enhanced data management processes, sustain capacity building for staff and frontline personnel," he explained. He also pledged robust export control and traceability systems for the country's diamond resources, and said the Ghana Gold Board will continue to collaborate with allied regulatory agencies to ensure effective operations.

Ghana's implementation framework distributes responsibility across multiple institutions. The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Minerals Commission, and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority all coordinate within the system, alongside law enforcement agencies and private sector stakeholders. Technical teams from these bodies will brief the visiting delegation throughout the four-day engagement, which is structured to examine the legal and regulatory framework governing the diamond industry, the effectiveness of internal controls, and the depth of collaboration between the government and industry.

The review is also a moment of strategic visibility for Ghana. According to Top Radio 103.1 FM, Ghana currently serves as vice chair of the Kimberley Process and is positioned to assume the chairmanship in 2027, a transition that makes the outcome of this week's peer review particularly consequential for the country's standing in global diamond governance.

The Ghana Gold Board has been active on the licensing front as well: the agency recently granted a second aggregator license to IB Impex Limited, a signal that the regulatory infrastructure supporting compliant diamond trade continues to expand alongside the certification work underway this week in Accra.