BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
The Gemstones Miners and Marketers Association of Nigeria (GMMAN) has disclosed that Nigeria lacks skilled workers for the commercial development of Gemstones.
This was even as the association identified inadequate facilities for processing such as tumbling, bead making, cabochoning, faceting and jewellery manufacturing as the major challenges hindering the large-scale exportation of gemstones.
President of GMMAN, Engr Adeniran Ajibade stated this at an event organised by the Solid Minerals Directorate of Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) yesterday in Ibadan with the theme: "Promoting Gemstones Value Addition as a Catalyst for Global Competitiveness”.
Ajibade stated that the government training should be continuous, adding that Nigeria’s gem and jewellery products have huge local and international markets.
He requested vigorous marketing campaigns, professional branding that links gemstones to cultural and geographic features, establishment of certified grading laboratories and massive training in faceting and jewellery making.
Director of Mining Operations, Oyo State Minerals Development Agency, Mr Abiola Olaoluwa noted that international market demands quality, certification, traceability, responsible sourcing and consumer confidence.Track Exec Orders
He informed that stakeholders must strengthen collaboration among the government, industry, academia and the private sector, ensuring that gemstones mined in Nigeria become world-class products made in Nigeria.
The Director-General of NEPC, Mrs Nonye Ayeni said that the programme aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on creating viable livelihoods for Nigerians.
She reiterated its commitment to promoting value addition in the gemstones sector as a catalyst for Nigeria’s global competitiveness, as well as diversifying the economy through non-oil export.
Ayeni, who was represented by the Chief Trade Promotion Officer, Solid Minerals Directorate, NEPC Headquarters, Mrs Oyinkan Duke said that Ibadan was deliberately selected for the programme, as Oyo State and its environs sit on one of Nigeria’s richest gemstone belts.
She pointed out that NEPC operates under its “Double Your Export” philosophy, adding that Nigeria achieved $6.1 billion in formal non-oil export earnings in 2025, representing 11.5 per cent growth over 2024.
The DG informed that Nigeria accounted for less than 0.1 per cent of the over $350 billion global gemstone and jewellery market, despite having one of the largest deposits in Africa.
This, she attributed to the poor exportation of raw stones without value addition, adding that a cut and polished stone is 10 to 50 times more valuable than a rough stone.
She identified formalisation and value addition as the two pillars of global competitiveness.
Ayeni hinted that over 80 per cent of gemstone mining in Nigeria was artisanal, informal, and lacked traceability, standards and access to finance.
She lamented that no serious international buyer will purchase gemstones without certification of origin and ethical sourcing.
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