Blog Bringing Gemstones to Life in Nigeria

[bcmacdonald]

John Pollard published a new blog post.

The Giant of Africa​

Nigeria is Africa's most populated nation and the seventh-most populous in the world. Home to more than 200 million people, "The Giant of Africa" is a diverse country with hundreds of different ethnicities and languages spoken. The Nigerian film industry, Nollywood, is among the world's...

Continue reading the Original Blog Post.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

We need a way to post things like this in other forums - some of the colored gems folk are anti diamond and might not see it!
The LGD folk may also miss it

 

[John Pollard]

Good idea.

Pinging @psadmin to see if that can be done.

"Ping."
"Ping."

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I very much look forward to reading this tonight after work
i have seen a few Nigerian films on netflex and its got me interested

 

[John Pollard]

This thread and link to the blog post should now be visible in LGD and Colored Stones' forums.

It's an ambitious story - creating an entirely new employment sector throughout such a vast country - Johnny Appleseed style.

Tanzania attempted this in a different/aggressive way in 2010 when they suddenly banned the export of rough tanzanite, intending to keep it all in-country for polishing... They discovered that a country can't just "wish" lapidaries into existence. Diamond and colored gemstone cutting, while very different from each other, are part skill, part tools, part art - and rely on skilled apprenticeship for development.

Getting back to Tanzania and 2010 - the sudden ban was softened a few months later. The government promised to “fully and rigorously” enforce a stricter ban at some vaguely defined future time. And while they hinted it would happen by mid-2011, it took them the better part of the decade to develop a proper workforce. They finally (cautiously) revisited the topic in 2017.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Thanks John,
I find it interesting that beneficiation is widely promoted by socially conscious types who are often least likely to bother about purchasing goods from nations that they in principal profess to support.
Let's avoid conflict blood diamonds and gems and pay a premium to buy diamonds from Canada etc.

I note that some NGO's have actually supported the vice chair of the Kimberley Process being taken up by Zimbabwe (with likely presidency in a few years time).

That is the sort of stuff that can really create positive change (but i do have to cross my toes as well).

 

[John Pollard]

I note that some NGO's have actually supported the vice chair of the Kimberley Process being taken up by Zimbabwe (with likely presidency in a few years time).

That is the sort of stuff that can really create positive change (but i do have to cross my toes as well).

Potentially the news of the year.

Thank you Garry.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Potentially the news of the year.

Thank you Garry.

Yes, and thanks for reviving that other thread.
However I cant help but fear for the future of children being born in what were once democratic nations, or seemed to be moving in that direction. The world seems to be going to S##t.
So many autocrats ruling two thirds or more of the worlds population.