Unpolished Gemstones Cost Namibians Jobs
Matthew Dlamini –
The Namibian –
More than 90% of gemstones mined in Namibia leave the country in rough form, resulting in a loss of jobs and revenue for the country.
This was said by industrialisation and trade minister Lucia Iipumbu at the graduation of 44 gemstone cutters, 25 of whom are women, in Windhoek on Wednesday.
Iipumbu said the training programme was necessitated by the fact that a variety of semi-precious stones produced by small-scale miners are sold to local buyers and tourists.
