The Republic of Ghana represented by the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), has been appointed as Vice Chair in 2026 and as Chair in 2027 of the Kimberley Process (KP).
The announcement of this historic appointment was made on 21 November 2025, during the closing session of the 2025 Kimberley Process Plenary, held at the ALMAS Conference Centre, Dubai.
The appointment which followed two days of intensive deliberations, ministerial engagements, and consultations among governments, industry stakeholders, and civil society, makes Ghana the first country in West Africa to serve as Vice Chair and Chair of the Kimberly Process.
Per the governance structure of the Kimberly Process (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.
Some say that the thought-provoking statement delivered by the Chief Executive Officer of the GoldBod, Mr. Sammy Gyamfi Esq. during the Ministerial session, set the right tone and contributed to the confidence expressed by participants in Ghana’s leadership.
The conference room erupted with warm applause, reflecting broad consensus and strong confidence in Ghana’s leadership when the historic announcement was made.
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.
In an interview with the CEO of the GoldBod, Mr. Sammy Gyamfi Esq, he confirmed the historic appointment and indicated that, the confidence expressed by the global membership of the Kimberly Process in Ghana, places a renewed responsibility on the country to lead with excellence, transparency, and innovation. And that with the solid foundation of reforms already underway, particularly in gold and diamond governance, Ghana is well-positioned to guide the Kimberley Process into its next chapter global impact.
ABOUT THE KIMBERLY PROCESS
The Kimberley Process was established in the year 2023 by the United Nations. 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.
The Kimberly Process currently brings together 86 countries, represented by governments, the World Diamond Council (industry), and the KP Civil Society Coalition.
Over the past two decades, the Kimberley Process has achieved notable successes including substantial reduction in illicit diamond flows, especially from formerly war-torn regions; the establishment of a unified global certification regime, improving traceability and transparency; the provision of a cooperative platform for governments, industry, and civil society to address emerging risks, among others.
The following is a list of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme’s chairs and vice chairs: [40]
* 2003: Chair- South Africa; Vice Chair- Canada
* 2004: Chair- Canada; Vice Chair- Russian Federation
* 2005: Chair- Russian Federation; Vice Chair- Botswana
* 2006: Chair- Botswana; Vice Chair- European Commission
* 2007: Chair- European Commission; Vice Chair- India
* 2008: Chair- India; Vice Chair- Namibia
* 2009: Chair- Namibia; Vice Chair- Israel
* 2010: Chair- Israel; Vice Chair- DRC
* 2011: Chair- DRC; Vice Chair- United States
* 2012: Chair- United States; Vice Chair- South Africa
* 2013: Chair- South Africa; Vice Chair- China
* 2014: Chair- China; Vice Chair- Angola
* 2015: Chair- Angola: Vice Chair- United Arab Emirates
* 2016: Chair- United Arab Emirates; Vice Chair- Australia
* 2017: Chair- Australia; Vice Chair- European Union
* 2018: Chair- European Union; Vice Chair- India
* 2019: Chair- India; Vice Chair- Russian Federation
* 2020: No chairmanship due to COVID-19
* 2021: Chair- Russian Federation; Vice Chair- Botswana
* 2022: Chair- Botswana; Vice Chair- Zimbabwe
* 2023: Chair- Zimbabwe; Vice Chair- United Arab Emirates
* 2024: Chair- United Arab Emirates; Vice Chair-
* 2025: Chair- United Arab Emirates; Vice Chair- Thailand
