The RoundTable is more than a policy shift

 

 

The Luanda accord marks a record paradigm shift… 

Recently, Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), the apex body of the Indian gem and jewellery industry, participated in the Ministerial RoundTable on Natural Diamond [ND] Promotion, scheduled on 18 June 2025 in Luanda, Angola. 

In the post Ministerial RoundTable, GJEPC reported the notable accord. The GJEPC has proudly signed The Luanda Accord alongside the Mining Ministers of Angola, Botswana, South Africa, and Namibia, in collaboration with prominent industry bodies such as AWDC, Belgium, DMCC, Dubai, and De Beers. 

As the leading global organization driving the international growth of the jewellery industry, GJEPC’s efforts are increasingly recognized and embraced worldwide. Congratulations to the Chairman, Vice Chairman, the DPC, and the CoA for their visionary leadership and dedication in advancing this dynamic sector.

Soon after returning from the Roundtable, DeBeers Group reported, Angola brought together key diamond producing countries, companies and industry to chart a path for boosting the promotion of natural diamonds. 

The result was the signing of The Luanda Accord – an agreement that confirms our shared intention to contribute the equivalent of 1% of annual sales revenues from rough diamonds in support of the promotion of natural diamonds, working through the Natural Diamond Council.  

Following the signing of the Luanda Accord, Angola committed to investing $8 million in natural diamond category marketing, representing the equivalent of 1% of the country’s rough diamond sales for the second half of the year. De Beers Group committed to matching the funding from Angola, supporting an overall $16 million increase in the Natural Diamond Council’s 2025 marketing budget.  

In the row, Botswana also reported their details of activities & feedback. In a detail they reported to media; Botswana has taken centre stage in a historic shift within the global diamond industry, signing the Luanda. Accord on 18 June 2025 a landmark agreement that for the first time unites African producers behind a coordinated international strategy to market natural diamonds.  

The signing, which took place during a high-level Roundtable in Luanda, Angola, signals the emergence of a distinctly African voice in a space long dominated by external narratives. At the heart of the accord is Botswana the world’s top diamond producer by value leading with vision, clarity, and conviction.  

Representing the country was Minister of Minerals and Energy, Honourable Bogolo Joy Kenewendo, whose remarks captured both the spirit of the moment and the ambition behind it. “We need to move from fragmented messages to united storytelling. Africa must lead a global strategy to market diamonds. We will be the real storytellers who connect diamonds with consumers,” she declared.

The Luanda Accord marks a paradigm shift. No longer will individual countries or companies shoulder the burden of shaping the narrative alone. 

Instead, participating states-including Angola, Namibia, South Africa, and the Democratic Republic of Congo will promote natural diamonds as a collective product category, underpinned by values of ethical sourcing, authenticity, and African ownership.  

They also reaffirmed, DeBeers Group & reported, in a bold financial commitment, signatories agreed to contribute 1% of their rough diamond sales revenue to an international fund dedicated to global marketing. The fund will support strategic campaigns aimed at increasing consumer confidence, countering the rise of synthetic alternatives, and highlighting the socio-economic impact of natural diamond production on African communities. Botswana’s leadership in this effort is both symbolic and strategic. As a country globally recognised for its governance in the diamond sector, equitable partnerships, and beneficiation policies, Botswana is not only participating it is setting the tone.

This is more than a policy shift; it is the start of a new narrative one where Africa is no longer a silent supplier, but an active narrator of its own wealth. With the Luanda Accord, Botswana and its peers are reclaiming the story of the diamond. And this time, it begins where it always should have at the source.