Congo signs diamond deal with Swiss firm ADEX
Quidah is an online platform that connects investors with curated opportunities and expert insights on Africa’s emerging markets, while offering businesses promotional services, partnership facilitation, and market intelligence to attract capital and grow their operations.
Industries
The Democratic Republic of Congo has signed an agreement with Switzerland-based diamond and gemstone technology firm ADEX Platform to market Congolese diamonds. Under the deal, the gemstones will also be processed domestically rather than exported in raw form.
Mines Minister Louis Watum Kabamba presided over the signing on Monday between ADEX and the state-run Mining Fund for Future Generations, known as FOMIN. The ministry said the agreement will create a joint venture called ADEX RDC S.A., owned equally by the two partners.
The new joint venture will establish an international-standard cutting and jewellery facility in Congo. It will also develop a digital platform that will allow Congolese diamonds to be sold directly to global markets.
The government says the arrangement is intended to improve transparency, curb smuggling and raise local value addition in a sector that has long struggled to capture more income from its mineral wealth. Congo is among the world’s top five diamond producers and Africa’s second-largest.
The country has seen diamond output fall in recent years, even though it remains a major global producer. Official data show production dropped from about 13 million carats in 2021 to 8.1 million carats in 2025, with around 85% of output coming from artisanal mining.
Industrial production is dominated by SACIM, a China-backed joint venture that produced just over 1 million carats last year. The new agreement reflects Kinshasa’s broader push to reform the mining sector and recover more value from one of its most important exports.
