President Hichilema Promotes Local Gemstone Value Addition
President Hakainde Hichilema took a significant step towards advancing the value addition of Zambia’s precious minerals by visiting the local company “Jewel of Africa” in Lusaka.
This tour underscores the government’s dedication to reversing the practice of extracting and processing gemstones outside the country.
Zambia boasts some of the world’s finest deposits of precious and semiprecious stones, including emeralds and amethysts. However, these gemstones have historically been extracted, processed, and marketed outside the country.
President Hichilema, emphasizing the need for value addition, expressed the government’s dedication to creating an enabling policy environment for the extraction and value addition of minerals within Zambia.
During the tour, President Hichilema commended the efforts of the local company, Jewel of Africa, for its active participation in mineral value addition.
The President highlighted the company’s role as a commendable example for both local and international enterprises, encouraging them to emulate Jewel of Africa’s approach.
He stressed the importance of setting up gemstone processing, mounting, and marketing locally to generate employment opportunities and boost export earnings.
In a statement, President Hakainde Hichilema said, “We are resolved to reverse this trend as we have created an enabling policy environment for extracting and value addition of our minerals in our country.”
He further added, “We encourage more companies, both local and international, to emulate them and set up gemstone processing, mounting, and marketing locally, for that is how we can create jobs and boost export earnings.”
