The Gold & Gemstones Conference & Exhibition (GGCE) 2026 is set to spotlight the creativity, craftsmanship and entrepreneurial potential of African women in the jewellery industry through its flagship Jewellery Competition.
The competition, which will form a major highlight of GGCE 2026, is designed to discover, celebrate and promote emerging African talent while exposing participants to business, career and investment opportunities across the continent’s growing gold, gemstone and jewellery value chain.
Scheduled for November 24 to 28, 2026, at the Lagos Oriental Hotel, Lagos, the event will be held under the theme, “African Women Driving Africa’s Gold and Gemstone Economy: Catalysing Investment, Innovation and Global Competitiveness.”
The competition will bring together jewellery designers, artisans, students, makers and emerging creative entrepreneurs, challenging them to transform African gold, gemstones, culture and stories into distinctive jewellery with commercial and global appeal.
According to the organisers, the initiative goes beyond a contest for the most attractive jewellery piece, as it seeks to demonstrate how creativity, technical skills, mineral resources and entrepreneurship can combine to create high-value African products and globally competitive brands.
They said Africa’s vast mineral resources present significant opportunities beyond mining, including jewellery design and manufacturing, gemstone cutting and finishing, branding, retail, export and other forms of value addition.
The competition is expected to provide participants with opportunities to showcase their creations before investors, jewellery businesses, designers, manufacturers, entrepreneurs and other industry stakeholders.
Such exposure, the organisers said, could lead to partnerships, customers, mentorship, investment and new business opportunities for emerging jewellery makers.
They also stressed the importance of technical expertise and professional craftsmanship, encouraging participants to improve their skills in design, material selection, finishing, originality and commercial presentation.
Building Businesses From Creativity
The organisers said the competition was conceived to help bridge the gap between talent and commercial opportunity, particularly for women seeking to build sustainable careers and businesses in the jewellery sector.
They noted that while talent was important, emerging jewellery makers also needed industry exposure, market access, professional networks and mentorship to translate their creativity into viable enterprises.
The initiative therefore seeks to encourage African women to view jewellery not only as an artistic expression but also as a vehicle for creating brands, businesses, employment and economic value.
The 2025 edition, according to the organisers, saw premium jewellery brand 2Groomhandmade win the top prize for its hand-engraved sterling silver WIMIN Pendant Necklace.
The winning and headline pieces were showcased on the runway by international beauty queen and Miss Supranational Africa, Gift Ndah.
The organisers said the 2026 edition would build on that momentum by creating greater opportunities for designers, artisans, students and emerging jewellery entrepreneurs to connect with the wider industry.
They urged established designers, artisans, students, emerging brands and aspiring jewellery entrepreneurs across Africa to participate by bringing their creativity, craftsmanship and African stories to the competition.
The GGCE brings together stakeholders across Africa’s gold, gemstone and jewellery ecosystem, including mining, processing, manufacturing, design, trading, investment and technology.
The organisers described the jewellery competition as a platform for showcasing the continent’s creative capacity and demonstrating how Africa’s mineral wealth can be transformed into high-value products through local skills, innovation and enterprise.
