A government minister of the country hosting a meeting of Africa's diamond-producing countries told his fellows in attendance that they should endeavor to add value to the gems mined in their countries.



At Fourth Ordinary Meeting of the African Diamond Producers Association (ADPA) Council of Ministers in Accra, Ghana Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Mike Hammah noted that for all practical purposes, diamonds were a non-renewable resources. Hammah said that the African continent is responsible for producing 60% of the rough diamonds in the world, and that it should instead export much more of these diamonds in their polished state.



Hammah stated that beneficiation activities such as cutting and polishing diamonds constituted a multi-billion dollar business on a global scale and that ADPA member countries should maximize the benefits reaped from the mining sector in general and from the diamond industry specifically in their respective countries.