WELCOME to the

AFRICAN DIAMOND COUNCIL

The official governing body for Africa's diamond producing countries.

Africa is the richest continent for diamond mining, accounting for more than half of the world's production. The major diamond producing regions are located in the southern region of Africa, while the west-central part of the continent has a less dense concentration of diamonds. The major producing countries are Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), Botswana (which produces more than 28%), South Africa, Angola, Namibia, Ghana, Central African Republic, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe. Greed, on the part of foreign governments and private companies involved in the diamond trade, has caused a significant portion of the political turmoil experienced in many of the African diamond producing countries and has led to the highly variable production of diamonds and severe degradation of the environment from uncontrolled mining. In light of this, the mission of the ADC is to remove the negative stigma associated with diamond production in Africa and return credibility to the African diamond trade by addressing issues of corruption and infiltration.

The world diamond industry breeds a network of secrecy and sophisticated levels of corruption. This has created an environment in which a significant proportion of African diamonds are allowed to circulate in ways that make it difficult, if not impossible, to determine where they originate. As a result, African diamonds act as a form of currency used to back international loans, pay debts, pay bribes, and buy arms. This phenomenon often leads to the unfair mislabeling of African diamonds by the world's most established diamond organizations and cartels. These problems are compounded by the fact that bloody wars are being fueled throughout Africa by many non-African countries with the intent of distracting African countries, while their valuable natural resources are quietly being extracted to build wealth in more developed nations outside of Africa.

ADC’s subsistence has broadened its effectiveness with the formation of the African Diamond Producers Association (ADPA), a supportive ancillary arm. The Council’s success is in large part due to the strong bonds that have been created among the diamond producing countries in Africa. With the support of these member states, the ADC will continue to forge strong alliances with all likeminded organizations that, in their various areas of expertise, work towards and support the same goals. We are extremely proud of these affiliations and relentlessly encourage the continued support of these organizations, as well as the entire diamond industry. The ADC provides guidance and assistance in empowering Africans in their quest to establish good governance and stronger economies.