Adeleke calls for overhauling of solid mineral sector

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke has stressed the need for dynamic overhauling of the solid mineral sector beyond selling raw materials into the development of value chains to get added earnings and redouble Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Governor Adeleke disclosed this today at the opening ceremony of the Nigeria Gemstones Conference held at the University of Ibadan Conference Hall, Ibadan, the Oyo State Capital, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, his spokesperson confirmed in a statement. 

The Governor represented by the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Rev. Bunmi Jenyo described the conference as a “laudable effort which will serve as a wake-up call to managers of the economy and policy makers across the board”.

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According to him “the gemstone sector is a multi-billion dollar industry that has not received the right attention despite the push to diversify our national economy. It is therefore a welcome development that we are gathered here to deliberate on this sub- sector”.

“We have the challenge to develop process capacity to add high value to our solid minerals. Specifically, gemstones present a high-value opportunity for willing and enterprising Stakeholders to operate”.

Rev. Jenyo who commended the organisers of the conference also said “We can however not achieve much unless we engage the private sector more productively. The organized private sector remains the most viable vehicle to drive the value addition and expansion of our processing capacity”.

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The organisers, Gemstones Miners And Marketers Association of Nigeria (GMMAN) opined that the conference is an opportunity for individuals and organisations in the gemstones industry to come together and discuss the latest trends, challenges, and innovations in the field.