20/11/2025
FULL SPEECH READ BY THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE GHANA GOLD BOARD AT THE KIMBERLEY PROCESS MINISTERIAL MEETING HELD IN DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES ON 20TH NOVEMBER, 2025.
Your Excellencies, distinguished Ministers, Chair of the Kimberley Process, KP Executive Secretary, esteemed delegates, ladies and gentlemen,
It is an honour to address you on behalf of the Republic of Ghana at this important Ministerial Meeting. We are grateful to the United Arab Emirates for hosting this crucial conference.
For over two decades, the Kimberly Process has been a historic achievement — a collective effort to ensure that diamonds, do not become instruments of conflict, wars and human suffering.
Yet the nature of conflict has evolved. Conflict is no longer confined to rebel armies in the bush. Today, diamond communities may not hear gunfire, but they feel the violence of exploitation, dispossession and exclusion.
Sadly, necessary reforms in the diamond trade have stalled. While we debate, the world changes. The landscape of the diamond trade is fast-shifting and the moral cost of inaction continues to rise. Many diamond communities still live with the scars of conflict, exploitation and exclusion. This cannot be the legacy of the Kimberley Process.
The options before us on the definition of “conflict diamonds” reflect the shared desire of all participants to respond to these changing realities.
Ghana recognises the legitimacy of the concerns, perspectives, and aspirations embedded in each proposal. What matters now is our collective willingness to find common ground and to act decisively.
Ladies and gentlemen, consensus is at the heart of the Kimberley Process. But consensus must be a path to progress and not a recipe for paralysis. We may not find a perfect text that satisfies every delegation on every point. What we can and must do however, is take steps — however modest, to strengthen the credibility, relevance and moral authority of this Process.
Ghana believes in consensus and urges all participants to focus on areas of convergence, listen carefully to one another, and pursue solutions that protect vulnerable populations, while safeguarding legitimate trade.
Let us not allow the quest for perfection to become the enemy of meaningful incremental reform. Let history record that this meeting chose renewal over stagnation and cooperation over narrow interest — and that we moved forward, even if by small but significant steps. Ghana stands ready to walk this path with you.
Thank you for your attention.
