In a bid to diversify the economy, an expert in Lustregems and Minerals Jewelry hub, Gerald Muoeboh, has perfected the strategy to ensure that the solid minerals sector contributes over fifty percent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
He made the assertion during a one-day workshop on practical Demonstration of Gemstone Faceting for Export, held on Thursday in Keffi, Nassawa state.
The workshop on practical demonstration of gemstone faceting for export was organized by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Nasarawa state Coordinating office Lafia had in attendance local miners from across the state that brainstormed on ways of finding solutions of using gemstone as a means of survival.
The resource person at the event, the general manager of Lustregems and Jewelry hub, Muoeboh, said the capacity workshop was in line with the agenda of the Ministry of solid minerals that the minerals should be processed for value addition, stressing that the participants will be acquainted with requisite knowledge on how to utilize gemstone for exports.
According to him, the gemstone market has experienced steady growth in recent years, and one of the primary drivers is the increasing demand for luxury goods among consumers across the world as more people seek out high-quality products while the demand for high-quality gemstones has risen.
Muoeboh maintained that a growing interest in colored gemstone and crystal have also contributed to market growth, in particular, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires, which have seen increased demand lately as consumers seek out unique and eye-catching pieces of Jewelry, urging the participants to utilize the knowledge acquired to make a meaningful impact in the society.
On his part, the head of product development of NEPC, Itodo Daniel, said the programme was organized basically to find ways of adding value to the product; he stated that there is a lot of gemstone in Nasarawa state, but people mining them are unable to process it in the right direction calling on the participants to step down what they have learnt to the rest of miners in the state for the benefit of all.
One of the participants, Mr Shedrack Emmanuel, commended the organizers of the training, which, according to him, will impact the knowledge of how they can process gemstones into useful products, calling for support from the government to enable them to succeed.
The workshop featured a practical demonstration of how to process gemstones into useful products to generate income.
