Masisi steps up G7 lobby on diamonds

Addressing diplomats on Wednesday, Masisi said his administration had been able to secure the co-signatures of Namibia and Angola on the letter.

The Group of Seven or G7, which comprises the United States, the United Kingdom and other industrialised states which represent the market for diamonds, has adopted tough new rules to stop Russian diamonds from entering the global diamond industry. Russia is the world’s largest producer of rough diamonds by volume and while the US long imposed sanctions due to the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow’s diamonds continue to freely trade in the market and into the US.