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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Economy & Trade

Stakeholders call for more investment in Africa’s gold and gemstone industry

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement New plan
  • Organisers of the Gold and Gemstones Conference & Exhibition said the 2026 event will focus on investment, skills, innovation and women’s participation in Africa’s mineral economy.
  • The conference will connect investors with opportunities in mining, processing, jewellery, technology, trading and other parts of the value chain.
  • Organisers said the event will promote local processing and recognise African women working across the industry.

Africa’s gold and gemstone industry is being urged to capture more value at home instead of continuing to export large volumes of raw minerals. Organisers of the Gold and Gemstones Conference & Exhibition say the sector needs stronger platforms for investment, skills development, innovation and international cooperation.

The fifth-anniversary edition of GGCE will take place in Lagos from Nov. 24 to 28, 2026, under the theme “African Women Driving Africa’s Gold and Gemstone Economy: Catalysing Investment, Innovation and Global Competitiveness.” Organisers said the event would move beyond celebrating the continent’s mineral wealth and focus on how investors, entrepreneurs and industry players can create greater value within Africa.

The conference and exhibition will link investors to opportunities spanning mining, processing, jewellery manufacturing, technology, trading, design and value addition. Organisers said the programme would promote investment in beneficiation, processing, jewellery production, skills and technology, as well as access to international markets.

resilience, dedication, consistency, and an unwavering belief in the potential of Africa’s gold and gemstone industry.

· Janet AdeyemiThe president of Women in Mining Nigeria described what the conference’s fifth anniversary represented.

Janet Adeyemi, president of Women in Mining Nigeria, described the anniversary as a reflection of “resilience, dedication, consistency, and an unwavering belief in the potential of Africa’s gold and gemstone industry.” She said the 2026 edition would be “bigger, more impactful, and positioned to meet the expectations of an increasingly global industry.”

The event will include an awards segment honouring African women working as miners, processors, designers, manufacturers, traders, entrepreneurs, investors and industry leaders. It will also offer jewellery-making masterclasses aimed at helping new and established entrepreneurs build technical and creative skills and turn raw materials into commercially valuable products.

bigger, more impactful, and positioned to meet the expectations of an increasingly global industry.

· Janet AdeyemiAdeyemi characterised the planned 2026 edition of the conference.
About this summary

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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