Stakeholders Call for Stronger Investment, Skills Platforms as GGCE Marks Fifth Anniversary
Stakeholders in Africa’s gold and gemstone industry have called for stronger platforms for investment, skills development, women’s participation, innovation and international collaboration, as organisers of the Gold and Gemstones Conference & Exhibition mark the event’s fifth anniversary.
This was disclosed by the organisers in a statement ahead of GGCE 2026, which holds from November 24 to 28 in Lagos under the theme, ‘African Women Driving Africa’s Gold and Gemstone Economy: Catalysing Investment, Innovation and Global Competitiveness.’
According to the statement, the anniversary edition will go beyond celebrating Africa’s mineral wealth to addressing how investors, entrepreneurs and industry players can create greater value from that wealth within the continent.
The organisers said the conference would connect investors with opportunities across mining, processing, jewellery manufacturing, technology, trading, design and value addition, while building partnerships aimed at strengthening local capacity.
They noted that Africa continues to export significant volumes of raw minerals with little local value addition, stressing that GGCE 2026 would promote investment in beneficiation, processing, jewellery manufacturing, skills development, technology and access to global markets.
A Milestone Reflecting “Resilience and Dedication”
President of Women in Mining Nigeria, Janet Adeyemi, said the fifth anniversary reflected “resilience, dedication, consistency, and an unwavering belief in the potential of Africa’s gold and gemstone industry.”
Adeyemi promised an edition that would be “bigger, more impactful, and positioned to meet the expectations of an increasingly global industry.”
She added that the 2026 edition represented a new chapter that would create stronger platforms for investment, skills development, women’s participation, innovation and international collaboration, while celebrating the industry’s journey so far.
Honouring Women Across the Value Chain
The statement said the event would also honour African women driving change across the value chain — as miners, processors, jewellery designers, manufacturers, traders, entrepreneurs, investors and industry leaders — through a dedicated Awards and Recognition segment.
Organisers said the growing participation of women was unlocking new livelihoods, strengthening local value chains and demonstrating that the continent’s mineral wealth could generate broader economic opportunities when women gained access to skills, finance, technology, markets and leadership platforms.
Hands-On Masterclasses and International Standards
Beyond the conference and exhibition, GGCE 2026 will feature hands-on jewellery-making masterclasses designed to help aspiring and established entrepreneurs strengthen their technical and creative skills, while gaining insight into how raw materials can be transformed into commercially valuable finished products.
Managing Director of DCS Integrated Media Limited, Tunde Obokhai — the firm coordinating the event — is leading efforts to scale GGCE to a more internationally competitive standard.
The statement indicated that DCS Integrated Media Limited was applying a structured, globally oriented approach covering event strategy, stakeholder engagement, media visibility, branding and production, to ensure the anniversary edition reflects professionalism and international credibility.
Organisers said the fifth anniversary would set a new benchmark for the conference, drawing a broader community of stakeholders and presenting Africa’s gold, gemstone and jewellery opportunities to the world “with renewed confidence.”
