Kasim Sumaina in Abuja
The federal government, through the Mineral Sector Support for Economic Diversification Project (MinDiver) under the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, has commenced the second phase of training for the ‘train-the-trainers programme’ in gemstone and jewelry production.
At the second batch of the programme, which started immediately after the graduation of the first batch of 21 students recently, MinDiver hinted yesterday in Abuja at shows where the students were catching on in gemstones and jewelry production as part of the federal government downstream transformation agenda to contribute to the growth and development of the Nigerian economy.
The federal government through MinDiver has recently selected 40 students across the six geopolitical zones for the second batch of the training.
MinDiver had initiated the training programme to promote the local processing of the abundant gemstones and jewelry raw materials in the country, create jobs, and facilitate the growth of small and medium scale enterprises.
The move, it noted, became necessary in view of the fact that Nigeria is blessed with several varieties of gemstone which are illegally exported out of the country in raw forms with low revenue returns.
An earlier survey conducted in 2006 by the first World Bank assisted intervention programme, the Sustainable Management of Mineral Resources Project (SMMRP), had indicated that from the wide variety of gemstone found in Nigeria, six species had significant potential for regulated mining, processing, and final export to the consumer markets.
The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, while declaring the phase 1 programme in November 2021, said the training was necessitated by the government determination to strengthen Nigerian jewelers’ knowledge to add value to the raw gemstones mined in the country for higher commercial benefits.
Adegbite noted that: “The target is not just to train them but to set them up, as every state in Nigeria is represented here, and by the time the programme is completed, we are going to have a revolution that will multiply and engage our teeming youths positively.”
Speaking in similar vein, the Project Coordinator, MinDiver, Sallim Salaam, said the project was delighted with the success of facilitating the first batch and ready to consolidate on the already built achievement for the development of the gemstone and jewelry industry.
He said the programme was a key activity envisioned to enhance the downstream transformation policy of the ministry in gemstone and jewelry industry.
According to him, part of activities for the batch 2 would be an induction for the students on what is expected of them during the eight-month training programme given that the MinDiver Project is interested in seeing the gemstone and jewelry industry blossom in Nigeria to attract investment, create jobs and alleviate poverty.
