Editor’s Note
This article highlights a strategic partnership between Tanzania and Thailand aimed at boosting value addition in Tanzania’s gemstone sector through knowledge transfer and joint research.
DODOMA: Tanzania and Thailand have signed a cooperation agreement to promote knowledge sharing, research collaboration, and the production of high-quality gemstone products.
The agreement, signed in Dodoma on Tuesday, seeks to enhance value addition in the gemstone industry, ensuring that Tanzanian gemstones undergo significant processing before export.
The deal was signed between the Tanzania Gemmological Centre (TGC) and Sunset Gem Company from Thailand, marking a pivotal step in strengthening the global competitiveness of Tanzania’s gemstone sector.
The collaboration aims to enhance expertise in gemmology while driving innovation in the cutting and polishing of gemstones. This partnership is poised to play a crucial role in advancing Tanzania’s gemstone industry, ensuring the country fully maximizes its valuable mineral resources for both local and international markets.
Commenting on the signed MoU, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Minerals, Eng Yahya Samamba, said that the agreement is a key part of the government’s strategy to enhance Tanzania’s capacity to add value to its gemstones rather than selling them in their raw form.
Through the agreement, Tanzania stands to benefit from the transfer of new value addition technologies, alongside the strengthening of the Tanzania Gemmological Centre (TGC), which is a key institution in the country’s gemstone sector.
For years, Tanzania has been known for mining and exporting raw gemstones. However, with the implementation of Tanzania’s mining law, there is now a strong focus on adding value to these minerals before they are sold abroad.
On his part, Sunset Gem Executive Director, Pukkapon Piantumdee, said that the company specializes in the cutting, polishing, and identification of gemstones.
He expressed optimism about using this partnership to share expertise and collaborate with Tanzania in these areas.
Sunset Gem is involved in the purchase and large-scale cutting of sapphire and ruby gemstones and it has developed technology for treating these precious stones.
In his remarks, the Acting Coordinator of the Tanzania Gemmological Centre (TGC), Eng Ally Maganga, noted that this collaboration would provide Tanzanian youths and students at the Centre the opportunity to travel to Thailand to acquire modern skills in gemstone value addition.
Furthermore, Tanzanian students will have the chance to learn gemstone cutting techniques in Thailand and during their field attachments, Sunset Gem has agreed to take the students under its wing.
Engineer Maganga also highlighted the important role that Sunset Gem has played in strengthening Tanzania’s relations with the Gemmological Institute of Thailand (GIT), a major institution in the gemstone industry, which has already signed agreements with Tanzania.
