By Martha Agas
The Gemstones Miners and Marketers Association of Nigeria (GMMAN) has proposed the establishment of more gemstones and jewelry centres in Jos and Ibadan.
The President of GMMAN, Mr Adeniran Ajibade made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.
The proposal followed the recent reaffirmation by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, of the Federal Government’s commitment to promoting entrepreneurship and enhancing value addition in mining.
Ajibade said that the creation of more centres, besides fostering entrepreneurship, would unlock commercial opportunities for the industry both locally and internationally.
”This will boost entrepreneurship in gem and jewelry marketing locally and internationally, create massive employments and substantially increase the revenue from the exploitation of our gem resources.
”The GMMAN will be enthusiastic to work in concert with the government to achieve these laudable objectives,” he said.
He commended the government for its commitment to establishing more centres, emphasising that it would be key in training Nigerian youths and expanding the sector’s skill sets across the nation
”It is a welcome development and will add value to the industry. The Nigerian diverse and abundant gemstone resources will require the development of skill sets in bead making, gem-faceting and jewelry manufacturing.
”It is therefore commendable that the minister is committed to the establishment of many gemstones and jewelry centres to train Nigerian youths and proliferate the skill sets across the nation,” he said.
NAN reports that the Minister of Solid Minerals Development recently visited the Laurel School of Mining in Abuja, commending its efforts as a trailblazer in training jewelry and gemstone makers.
He assured of the Federal Government’s commitment to boosting the centre’s production capacity as well as establishing more centres following the implementation of the 2025 budget.
He also emphasised the sector’s potential as a major foreign exchange earner. (NAN)
