Kasim Sumaina in Abuja
The federal government’s efforts to develop the gemstone and jewelry industry in the country got a significant boost with the presentation of certificates in Gemstones to graduate of the first batch of trainees under the national training programme that commenced in October 2021.
The training programme was inaugurated to strengthen the supply of skilled workforce in the industry and to promote the local processing of gemstone and jewelry raw materials in the country, create jobs and facilitate the growth of small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs).
The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mr. Olamilekan Adegbite, who presented certificates to the 21 graduating students in Abuja said that the graduants had been fully armed to face the future, having learnt what it takes to compete among the world’s best gemstone and jewelry makers.
Adegbite said the knowledge acquired by the graduates on gemstone and jewelry making in seven months are skills that could not be taken away from them, noting that knowledge is the best gift to anyone.
According to him, when they use the skills and knowledge they have acquired, the country would have achieved the objective of skill development envisaged when the programme was designed.
He said that the federal government is working on a sustainability plan that would empower all the graduates to practice their trade and, in turn, assist in passing on the knowledge to others.
The minister said: “Realise that what you had acquired in the seven months was to enable you to help yourselves, others, and the country.”
He added that the World Bank was impressed with the programme, stating: “the MinDiver Task Team leader, Dr. Martin Locanc, has proposed an advanced training programme for the graduates through the TTL, which is an advanced training where people like you would proceed from this training and qualify based on performance.”
He urged them to keep improving themselves as knowledge was not an end, but a means to an end. “The knowledge has now become personal, an acquisition they would be endowed with for a lifetime,” he said.
The Project Coordinator, MinDiver, Mr. Sallim Salaam, said that the activity that started on October 26, 2021, was one of the major programmes of the MinDiver project aimed at supporting value addition. “As a project, we are happy that 21 trainees were admitted, and all have graduated,” Salaam said.
He said that the MinDiver undertook the programme because of the importance of value addition to the diversification agenda of the federal government aimed at moving the country away from the monolithic economy that is dependent on oil to other critical sectors like agriculture and mining.
“This couldn’t have been possible without President Muhammadu Buhari granting the approval for the setting up of the MinDiver Project and the commitment and support of the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mr. Olamilekan Adegbite,” Salaam said,
The Senior Special Adviser to the MinDiver Project, Mr. Linus Adie, described the graduation of the trainees as a significant statement in the development of the gemstone and jewelry industry in the country, adding that the country would benefit from their expertise a few years from now because of the kind of training the graduates have been exposed to.
The Class Representative of the Graduates, Ms. Jessica Ogieva, said the training was an eye-opener and a great experience for all of them, adding that they gained a lot of knowledge and skills during the training.
Ogieva pledged that as the first products of the programme, they are mindful that a lot of eyes are on them to display their expertise, skills, and knowledge they have learnt.
She said: “The encouragement we need now is empowerment to strengthen the local jewelry sector.”
