700 GEMSTONE DEALER ATTEND ARUSHA FAIR

The 4th Arusha International Gemstones Fair held between 21st and 24th of April this year had brought new surprises in town.
Mineral exhibitions compelled the management of Mount Meru Hotel to convert guest rooms into pavilions.
All rooms located on the first and second floors of the prestigious hotel were cleared of beds, and boarders with the spaces transformed into mineral and gemstone exhibition stalls.
As far as organizers were concerned, the move was to ensure reinforced security in addition to staying clear of open skies during the rain-soaked month of April.
Normally, the gemstone fairs are staged outside on the hotel gardens inside specially made tents. 
A total of 700 premium gemstone and mineral dealers as well as producers from 12 Sub-Saharan African countries and other parts of the world jetted into the city for the prestigious Arusha Gem Fair (AGF).
The annual mineral fair was organized by the Ministry of Energy and Minerals in collaboration with the Tanzania Mineral Dealers Association (TAMIDA) and supported by International Colour Gemstones Association (ICA) together with the Gemmological Institute of America (GIA).
The chairman of the fair organizing committee, Mr Peter Pereira, said earlier on that the three-day International Gem, Jewellery and Minerals’ showcasing event had brought on board primary gemstone and mineral producers from Sub-Saharan African countries to single platform.

“They are here alongside renowned industry leaders, respected mineral collectors and dealers, who will be taking parts in various activities including lapidary seminars and demonstrations, and round-table discussions with Government Leaders and industry players from all over the world,” he said.
Non-African countries that have turned up for the Arusha Minerals event included China, Thailand, the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, India, France, Canada, Japan and Russia.
Participants from African countries were drawn from Zambia, Madagascar, Kenya, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Namibia, Uganda, Malawi, Zimbabwe and the host Tanzania.
According to the organizers, the 2015 AGF  continued to reinforce the foundation for an international consortium that consists of government representatives, buyers, sellers and industry experts. 
Last year the fair was attended by 58 exhibiting companies from sub-Sahara African countries representing eight countries and a total of 408 gem buyers from 30 countries participated. The  event saw the sales of minerals amounting to 3.4 billion/-