DRC Partners with ADEX Platform AG to Modernize Diamond and Gemstone Industry
DRC Signs Landmark Diamond Trade Agreement with Switzerland’s ADEX to Boost Transparency and Local Value Addition
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has taken a significant step toward transforming its diamond and colored gemstone industry with the signing of a strategic framework agreement between the Mining Fund for Future Generations (FOMIN) and Swiss technology company ADEX Platform AG.
The agreement, signed on Monday, June 29, 2026, was officiated by Minister of Mines Louis Watum Kabamba. It formalizes a partnership that was approved during the 91st Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers on May 29, 2026, in Kinshasa.
Under the agreement, FOMIN and ADEX Platform AG will establish ADEX RDC SA, a joint venture in which both parties will hold equal ownership.
The company will focus on modernizing and formalizing the DRC’s diamond and colored gemstone sector through several key initiatives.
These include the establishment of an internationally certified diamond cutting and jewelry manufacturing workshop, the development of a digital platform to connect Congolese gemstones directly with international markets, the transfer of technology, and capacity-building programs aimed at strengthening local expertise.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Minister Kabamba described the agreement as the beginning of “a new chapter in the responsible trade of diamonds and colored gemstones” in the DRC.
He said the initiative aligns with the vision of President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, implemented under the leadership of Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka, to ensure the country’s mineral wealth creates greater value, employment opportunities, and economic benefits for the Congolese people.
The minister stressed that Congolese diamonds should no longer be associated with smuggling or lost economic value.
Instead, he said, they should become a symbol of transparency, industrial transformation, and shared prosperity.
The partnership is expected to strengthen transparency across the diamond supply chain, improve incomes for industry participants, promote local processing and value addition, and position the DRC as a competitive and responsible supplier of diamonds and colored gemstones on the global market.
