Ghana, represented by the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), has been appointed to chair the global precious minerals regulatory framework, the Kimberley Process (KP), in 2027.
The announcement was made last Friday, during the closing session of the 2025 Kimberley Process Plenary, held in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Ghana will start off its role by serving as the Vice Chair of the international certification scheme next year, becoming the first country in West Africa to serve as Vice Chair and Chair of the Kimberly Process.
The appointment followed two days of intensive deliberations, ministerial engagements, and consultations among governments, industry stakeholders and civil society.
The conference room erupted with warm applause at Ghana’s election, reflecting a broad consensus and strong confidence in Ghana’s leadership.
Delegates highlighted Ghana’s rising stature in the global minerals sector, commending the country for its transparency efforts, institutional reforms, and strong technical capacity — particularly within the gold and diamond governance sector.
Duty
The Kimberley Process (KP) was established in the year 2023 by the United Nations (UN).
It is a multilateral certification scheme designed to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the legitimate global supply chain. Its core object is to ensure that revenues from diamonds do not finance armed conflict, terrorism or civil instability.
It currently brings together 86 countries, represented by governments, the World Diamond Council (industry), and the KP Civil Society Coalition.
Over the past two decades, it has achieved notable successes, including a substantial reduction in illicit diamond flows, especially from formerly war-torn regions; the establishment of a unified global certification regime, improving traceability and transparency and the provision of a cooperative platform for governments, industry and civil society to address emerging risks, among others.
Per the governance structure of KP, the Chair and Vice Chair are appointed by Plenary consensus.
They oversee the implementation of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) and the operations of the working groups, committees and administration that activate the KP.
Renewed responsibility
Before the announcement of Ghana’s appointment, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the GoldBod, Sammy Gyamfi, delivered a thought-provoking statement during the Ministerial session.
Mr Gyamfi later expressed appreciation to the Kimberly Process member countries for the confidence reposed in Ghana.
While excited about the role, the GOLDBOD CEO said the appointment also placed a renewed responsibility on the country to lead with excellence, transparency and innovation.
