India’s presence at the Angola Ministerial Roundtable 2025 on Natural Diamond Promotion, being held on June 18, marks a transformative step in reshaping global diamond trade relationships. Led by the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), India joined global stakeholders in a high-level summit focused on collaboration, responsible sourcing, and direct trade in natural diamonds.

India–Angola Diamond Diplomacy in Focus

Angola, Africa’s third-largest diamond producer, aims to diversify its economy beyond oil, signalling deeper Africa-India economic cooperation. It plans in-country diamond polishing and beneficiation, where India’s Surat-based industry holds unmatched global expertise and leadership.

India’s participation reflects a shared vision: enhancing transparency, traceability, and equitable growth across the diamond value chain. Angola’s national mining companies are actively promoting trade and investment, enabling Indian diamantaires to directly source rough diamonds and strengthen bilateral ties.

GJEPC’s Strategic Role in Natural Diamond Promotion

Representing India at the summit, GJEPC wants to emphasise the importance of creating a transparent and sustainable diamond ecosystem. This builds on the success of the India Global Connect platform (launched in 2020), which fostered dialogue between Indian and African diamond stakeholders.

The Angola Ministerial Roundtable 2025, organised in collaboration with the African Diamond Producers Association (ADPA) and supported by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC),is bringing together ministers and representatives from Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Sierra Leone, DR Congo, and Lesotho.

Key Indian priorities at the summit included:

• Facilitating direct sourcing of rough diamonds from Angola.
• Promoting sustainable mining-to-market value chains.
• Encouraging Indian investment in Angola’s polishing infrastructure.
• Establishing long-term trade partnerships for mutual growth.

The Bigger Picture: India’s Global Diamond Ambitions

As the world’s largest diamond cutting and polishing hub, India plays a crucial role in the global gem and jewellery industry. With Surat processing over 90% of the world’s diamonds by volume, a direct trade relationship with African producers like Angola ensures supply chain resilience, cost efficiency, and ethical sourcing.

This collaboration also aligns with India’s goal to be a leader in natural diamond advocacy, countering the rising dominance of lab-grown alternatives by promoting real diamonds with traceable origins.

Outlook: A Win-Win for Africa and India

This ministerial engagement is more than diplomacy—it’s an economic strategy aimed at value creation, sustainable development, and long-term trade integration. India’s diamond sector, from large exporters to small MSMEs, stands to gain from access to Angola’s high-quality rough supply, while Angola benefits from Indian expertise and global market access.

This partnership could serve as a model for future bilateral cooperation between other African diamond producers and Indian processing centres.

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