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Ghana to Chair Kimberley Process in 2027

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Ghana, represented by the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), has been appointed Vice Chair of the Kimberley Process (KP) for 2026 and is set to assume the Chairmanship in 2027. This landmark appointment, announced at the 2025 Kimberley Process Plenary in Dubai, marks the first time a West African nation will lead the global diamond certification initiative since its inception in 2003.

Despite being one of the world’s smaller diamond producers, Ghana’s strong commitment to responsible mineral governance, transparency reforms, and technical expertise in gold and diamond management garnered widespread confidence among KP members. The appointment followed intense deliberations among governments, industry stakeholders, and civil society, underscoring Ghana’s readiness to steer the KP’s efforts in combating conflict diamonds and enhancing sustainable practices worldwide.

As Chair, Ghana will oversee the implementation of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), coordinate working groups and committees, and guide policy decisions to ensure the integrity of the global diamond supply chain. Ghana Gold Board CEO Sammy Gyamfi emphasized that this esteemed role entails a significant responsibility to lead with excellence, transparency, and innovation.

The UAE, the current custodian Chair in 2025, continues to maintain leadership continuity, while the position of Chair for 2026 remains unfilled. Ghana’s leadership signals a new chapter for the KP, strengthening West Africa’s role in global diamond governance and sustainable industry practices.

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DiamondBuzz

GIA Acquires 30% Shareholding In Diamond Provenance Blockchain Platform Tracr

Investment By Leading Industry Institute Supports Tracr’s Evolution To Becoming An Independent, Industry-Wide Platform For Natural Diamond Provenance

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De Beers Group and GIA (Gemological Institute of America) today announced the signing of a definitive agreement for GIA to acquire a 30 per cent shareholding in Tracr, the De Beers Group-backed company behind the development of the pioneering diamond provenance blockchain-driven platform.

The agreement marks a significant milestone in Tracr’s evolution towards independence and reflects GIA’s confidence in the platform’s role as an industry-wide infrastructure to advance natural diamond provenance and traceability at scale.

GIA’s investment – which builds on a 2023 initiative to include diamond provenance information registered on Tracr’s platform on eligible GIA diamond grading reports — represents a significant step in this transition, reinforcing Tracr’s long-term credibility across the diamond value chain.

Al Cook, CEO of De Beers Group, said:

“Consumers deserve to know where their diamonds come from and they should feel more confident in their understanding of each diamond’s source. At De Beers we have been providing provenance data on diamonds through Tracr for several years and we believe that delivering provenance should become an industry standard. Following our promise to open Tracr up to broad ownership, we are proud to be partnering with GIA as Tracr evolves into an independent, industrywide platform. We will work alongside GIA to advance provenance transparency for the entire diamond sector.”

Pritesh Patel, President and CEO of GIA, said:

“At GIA, our mission has always been rooted in trust, integrity, and consumer confidence. Our collaboration with Tracr over the past several years reinforced our belief that combining source-based blockchain provenance with GIA’s independent grading and identification expertise can help unlock a new level of transparency for the diamond industry. As Tracr continues to scale globally, we see a tremendous opportunity to deliver meaningful, verifiable provenance information from the source to the consumer. We are proud to deepen our commitment through this investment and help shape the next evolution of transparency, traceability, and trust across our industry.”

Jillian Wolk, CEO of Tracr, said:

“The start of Tracr’s evolution into an independent platform, as a result of GIA’s investment, creates a strong foundation for the future. I am excited to continue scaling the platform and bringing more producers on board, which will support Tracr in enabling the individual journey of every registered diamond to come to life. Each stone carries its own narrative, defined by its source and the craftsmanship that has shaped it, and as Tracr continues to grow we have a fantastic opportunity to help reveal those unique stories.”

De Beers has been developing Tracr since 2018 and it is now a leading distributed diamond blockchain platform that starts at the source, registering diamonds at the point of recovery.

In 2023, De Beers opened the platform to the wider diamond industry, positioning Tracr as an industry-wide, scalable solution for rough-to-polish verification of natural diamond provenance, which starts at a stone’s source.

Today, more than five million rough diamonds have been registered on Tracr at source, representing around two-thirds of De Beers’ rough diamond production by value.

Since January 2025, single country of origin for De Beers diamonds has been available on Tracr, with all newly sourced De Beers rough diamonds of one carat and above being registered on the platform.

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JewelBuzz is Asia’s First Digital Jewellery Media & India’s No.1 B2B Jewellery Magazine, published by AM Media House. Since 2016, we’ve been the trusted source for jewellery news, market trends, trade insights, exhibitions, podcasts, and brand stories, connecting jewellers, retailers, and industry professionals worldwide.

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