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Ghana to uphold the Kimberly process
in diamond trade
Accra, Dec. 15, Ghanadot/GNA - Ghana is determined to
tighten its vigilance against illicit trade in diamonds to
justify her successful compliance of the Kimberly Process
Certification Scheme (KPCS), a government official has said.
The KPCS is an international process to ensure that trade in
diamonds does not fund violence.
Mrs Esther Obeng Dapaah, Minister of Lands, Forestry and
Mines, said on Friday that whilst Ghana rejoices for
becoming completely KPCS compliant, it would not rest on its
ores because conflict diamonds still remained a problem in
West Africa.
Ghana was declared compliant in November 2006 by a UN
Experts Group on La Cote d'Ivoire, after she was accused of
allowing conflict diamonds to pass through its territories.
Speaking at the 2005-06 Gold/Diamond Award's Night by the
Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC), Mrs Dapaah said:
"La Cote d'Ivoire, which is still in conflict situation
remains Ghana's neighbour, therefore extreme vigilance is
needed if we are to prevent the entry of conflict diamonds
into the country."
She said because Ghana Consolidated Diamonds Limited was not
producing rough diamonds, exports of its diamonds would
mainly come from the small scale sector, which explained why
proper regulation to ensure compliance with the KPCS was
needed.
Mrs Dapaah charged the PMMC, the Mineral Commission and the
Geological Survey Department to ensure that they carry out
their roles effectively under the KPCS implementation
strategy for Ghana.
"We need to avoid the negation of what has been achieved so
far," she added noting that Government has released funds
from the Mineral Development Fund for the registration of
small scale diamond miners in compliance with the KPCS
requirements.
Mrs Dapaah announced that government had started negotiation
with the United States Geological Surveys to assist Ghana in
the exploration of other diamondiferous areas outside the
Ghana Consolidated Diamonds Limited's concession to identify
viable areas for demarcation for small scale diamonds mining
in future.
Available statistics indicates that from 1989 to 2006, over
11.14 million carats of rough diamonds valued at 281.85
million dollars have been purchased and exported by the PMMC.
The company also between the same periods purchased and
exported 22.32 tonnes of gold valued at 294.29 million
dollars.
Giving an overview of the company's performance, Mr
Aristotle Kotey, Managing Director of the PMMC, said in
2006, over 2.25 million dollars worth of jewellery was
produced and sold using about 10 per cent of raw gold
purchased from small scale miners.
He said the production of jewellery was expected to increase
in the coming years.
The award's night was to reward gold/diamond licensed buyers
and companies that over the years have contributed in
diverse ways to the PMMC growth.
Categories of awards given included best diamond and gold
licensed buyers and companies for the year under review.
Certificates of licences were also given to individuals and
companies.
GNA
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