André A. Jackson
Encyclopedia
André Action Diakité Jackson , (born July 19, 1964), more commonly known by his African clan name "M’Zée Fula-Ngenge" , is a diamond industrialist and head of JFPI Corporation
JFPI Corporation
JFPI Corporation is an international closed-end investment and economic empowerment conglomerate based in Africa.While 100% of the shares are owned by private individuals, it is managed by a 53-member Board of Directors, representing each nation contained by Africa.JFPI promotes the growth of...

, Africa's largest holding company.

Jackson is the world's first diamond manufacturer of African descent and is also the architect and Chairman of both the African Diamond Council (ADC) and the African Diamond Producers Association
African Diamond Producers Association
African Diamond Producers Association is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to strengthen the level of influence African diamond-producing countries have on the world diamond market....

 (ADPA), the two umbrella bodies representing diamond-producing countries in Africa.

Background

André Action Diakité Jackson was born into a family of African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

 descent. His late father Tom Jackson was a decorated Administrator of the U.S. Armed Forces and his mother is Mary L. Barber Jackson, a retired Linguistics Professor.

Jackson became the world's first diamantaire of African descent in 1986, immediately after opening his own diamond manufacturing plant in Mbuji-Mayi
Mbuji-Mayi
Mbuji-Mayi serves as the capital of Kasai-Oriental Province in the south-central Democratic Republic of Congo. It is the third largest city in the country, following the capital Kinshasa and second largest city Lubumbashi but ahead of Kisangani and Kananga. The city is the DRC's third-largest,...

, in the DRC. In 1987, he became a close advisor to the late Zaïrean president, Mobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu Sese Seko Nkuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga , commonly known as Mobutu or Mobutu Sese Seko , born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, was the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1965 to 1997...

.

In 1996, he briefly left Zaire and began expanding his diamond business by becoming a supplier of cut diamonds.

Jackson returned to the DR Congo (formerly Zaire) at the end of 1997 and proved to be instrumental in assisting Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...

 to organize the first face-to-face meeting between Mobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu Sese Seko Nkuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga , commonly known as Mobutu or Mobutu Sese Seko , born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, was the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1965 to 1997...

 and Laurent-Désiré Kabila
Laurent-Désiré Kabila
Laurent-Désiré Kabila was President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from May 17, 1997, when he overthrew Mobutu Sese Seko, until his assassination by his bodyguards on January 18, 2001...

 aboard the SAS Outeniqua, a South African naval supply ship docked off the coast of Pointe Noire (Republic of Congo).

In December 1999, the diamond magnate established the African Diamond Council (ADC), Africa's official diamond governing body.

In November 2006, Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos
José Eduardo dos Santos
José Eduardo dos Santos is an Angolan politician who has been the second and current President of Angola since 1979. As President, José Eduardo dos Santos is also the commander in chief of the Angolan Armed Forces and president of the MPLA , the party that has been ruling Angola since...

 adopted and backed his proposal to establish the African Diamond Producers Association
African Diamond Producers Association
African Diamond Producers Association is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to strengthen the level of influence African diamond-producing countries have on the world diamond market....

 (ADPA), an intergovernmental branch of the ADC.

Jackson is a prominent automobile collector and the vehicles in his collection include the Maybach Exelero
Maybach Exelero
The Maybach Exelero is a high-performance sports car designed and built by German luxury car manufacturer Maybach. It was presented in May 2005 in Berlin, Germany. The two-seater with a twin turbo V12 engine is a one-off design built on request for Fulda Tires. Fulda is using this car as a...

, the Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 as well as various custom-built Lamborghini
Lamborghini
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly referred to as Lamborghini , is an Italian car manufacturer. The company was founded by manufacturing magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963, with the objective of producing a refined grand touring car to compete with established offerings from marques like...

s and Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...

s.

External links

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