The Zambian government has urged stakeholders in the gemstone industry to team up and develop a highly rewarding marketing arrangement so as to formalize the industry and pave way for enhanced growth, local paper Times of Zambia reported on Saturday.

Mines and Mineral Development Minister Kalombo Mwansa was quoted by the paper as saying that it was "imperative" for the stakeholders to team up and develop a marketing strategy.

Speaking in Kitwe, 400 km north of Lusaka, at the first emerald auction by Gemfields Holdings, Mwansa said the government wanted to see the gemstone industry formalized to pave way for enhanced growth, noting that this could be achieved through developing a rewarding marketing arrangements and use of modern methods of geological exploration in gemstone mines.

He urged all small-scale gemstone miners in Zambia to emulate the approach adopted by Gemfields Holdings and thereby minimize the risks associated with starting a mine without first undertaking scientific geological exploration.

The minister said the process of formalizing the gemstone industry in Zambia needed concerted efforts by all stakeholders.

Rich in copper and cobalt, Zambia is also endowed with abundance of gemstones. However, the gemstone industry in the country is in general sporadic and most stakeholders in the industry are small-scale miners.

Source: Xinhua