THE African Diamond Producing Countries Association (ADPA) will be officially set up on November 3 in Luanda, Angola, according to media reports. ADPA’s some 16 member countries represent around 60 per cent of the world’s diamond output.

The ADPA will be led in turn by a council of ministers from each of the member countries. It will also have an expert committee and an executive secretariat to oversee daily workings.

The current ADPA members are Angola, South Africa, Algeria, Botswana, the Republic of Congo, the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.