* Kano State Commissioner for Mineral Resources, Alhaji Hamza Safiyanu Kachako (standing),
declaring open a one-day training workshop titled “Enhancing Export Competitiveness through Gemstone Processing and Polishing for Nigerian Miners and Artisans.”
Kano State Government has reiterated its commitment to sustained collaboration with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) to strengthen solid minerals exportation through value addition and improved access to international markets for miners and artisans operating within the state.
The Commissioner for Mineral Resources, Alhaji Hamza Safiyanu Kachako, gave this assurance on Tuesday, 10th February, 2026,
while declaring open a one-day training workshop titled “Enhancing Export Competitiveness through Gemstone Processing and Polishing for Nigerian Miners and Artisans.” The workshop was organized by NEPC at the conference hall of the Kano Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KACCIMA).
The Commissioner explained that, with unwavering support from Governor of Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf, the Ministry has made significant progress in solid minerals development through comprehensive mineral deposit data gathering, collaboration with relevant agencies, stakeholder engagements, and formulation of enabling policy frameworks.
He further urged miners and artisans across the state to organize themselves into cooperative clusters, describing such structures as essential for accessing funding opportunities, capital interventions, and technical support available within the solid minerals sector.
In her address, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of NEPC, Mrs. Nonye Ayeni, represented by the Council’s Northwest Regional Coordinator, Hajiya Amina Abdulmalik, emphasized that gemstones are no longer traded globally as raw extracted materials but as value-added, certified, precisely cut, and polished products that meet international standards.
She noted that Nigeria is richly endowed with precious and semi-precious gemstones—including sapphire, tourmaline, emerald, topaz, garnet, and amethyst—found in commercial quantities across several states, including Kano and its environs. She stressed the urgent need to transition from raw mineral exports to processed and globally competitive finished products in order to boost foreign exchange earnings, create employment opportunities, and prevent loss of economic value to foreign processing markets.
Mrs. Ayeni reaffirmed NEPC’s commitment to continuous capacity building for miners and artisans and sustained collaboration with stakeholders to ensure that Nigeria’s gemstone value chains are properly structured, formalized, and globally competitive.
Also speaking, the Director General of KACCIMA, Dr. Tijjani Abdullahi Sarki, observed that despite Kano State’s position as a commercial hub with strong potential to become a leading centre for gemstone processing and trade, both the state and the country still largely export raw gemstones with minimal value addition. He described the workshop as timely and encouraged participants to fully utilize the opportunity to learn, innovate, and collaborate towards industrial growth and economic prosperity.
In his closing remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Engr. Mansur Yakubu, appealed to participants to maintain close engagement with the Ministry for guidance and support across the solid minerals value-addition chain.
Participants at the workshop were drawn from various mining companies and artisanal mining clusters across Kano State, according to a press statement by
Adamu Ibrahim Dabo,Director, Public Enlightenment, Kano State Ministry of Mineral Resources.
