By Joseph S. Conteh
The Sierra Leone Mining Week 2025 came to a close this week, marked by the 10th Ordinary Meeting of the African Diamond Producers Association (ADPA) Council of Ministers. The three-day event, held at the Bintumani Conference Center in Freetown, brought together representatives from Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Ghana, Togo, the Republic of Congo, Angola, Libya, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, along with observer countries.
In his opening remarks, Alhaji Engineer Hadji Dabo, Director General of the National Minerals Agency, welcomed the delegates and emphasized Sierra Leone’s unique history and transformation of the mining sector into a force for good. ADPA Chairperson (2023-2024), Hon. W. Chitando, the Minister of Mines and Mining Development of Zimbabwe, expressed the association’s commitment to driving significant progress in the African diamond sector and promoting unity and brotherhood among member states.
The Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources of Sierra Leone, Hon. Julius Daniel Mattai, reiterated the government’s efforts to transform the country’s mining industry into a vigorous, sustainable, and equitable sector. In his keynote address, President Julius Maada Bio affirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening governance in the mining industry and promoting transparency as a national best practice.
During the third day of the event, Deputy Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources Umaru Napoleon Koroma highlighted the importance of addressing illegal and regulatory frameworks, environmental stewardship, and social development, all underpinned by the critical pillars of governance, transparency, and accountability.
