Scenes from Madagascar

By Tara J. McKenna

Brendan Laurs, editor of GIA’s scientific journal Gems & Gemology, and Edward Boehm, GIA consultant and president of JOEB Enterprises, were recently asked to help the World Bank and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) develop initiatives to improve and professionalize Madagascar’s gemstone industry.

They traveled to the gem-rich country in July 2003 and experienced adventures and a warm welcome from the Malagasy people. They shared their story during two GIA lectures and explained why they feel the World Bank- and USAID- supported initiatives are necessary.

 “Madagascar’s World Bank program was restructured in 2002 to promote economic recovery, improve social services and reduce poverty, while broad-based U.S. foreign policy objectives through USAID are being implemented to encourage economic development, environ-mental protection and democracy,” Boehm said. “All are designed to improve the lives of the Malagasy people.”

The World Bank and USAID are also helping the government improve its gemstone industry by developing initiatives that encourage educational advancements in mining, lapidary, laboratory and gemological skills, Laurs said.

“They hope that educating the Malagasy workforce through programs like GIA’s recent Gem Identification Extension class (see related story on page 22), funded by the World Bank, will provide the skills needed to improve the gemstone sector and ultimately the entire economy,” he said.

History has shown that a better informed citizenship is more likely to make new discoveries of valuable minerals and ores, thereby enriching the country, Boehm said. He believes the prospects for the Malagasy gemstone industry also appear brighter because the country has a new government.

“Marc Ravalomanana, the new president, promises to advocate open markets and a free society dedicated to improving the overall economic conditions and well being of the country,” Boehm said. “This new direction, combined with its wealth of natural resources, gives Madagascar the potential for significant economic improvement and ultimately will improve the lives of its citizens.”