Jewelry Masterclass

Africa has an extraordinary rich history of Jewelry making. Some of the earliest archaeological evidence of human adornment was found in Africa: around 40,000 years ago in Kenya. Ancient civilization left a rich trove of cultural treasures on the continent, including the thousand or more bronzes of the kingdom of Benin, some created before the 13th century. However, Africa’s jewelers are currently lagging in sharing the wealth that makes up the global jewelry industry, which is estimated to produce $300bn in

sales a year.

The Jewelry industry,  like many others, is built on networks. The fragmented nature of the jewelry industry in Africa is one of the biggest contributors to Africa’s lack of integration in the global supply chain. The growth in Africa’s Middle class has fueled an increased demand for African made jewelry. Areas of intervention that bring rapid transformation in this sector include infrastructure investment for beneficiation, education, and training as well as promotion of the industry in order to build an export base and reach global market`s.

The Jewelry Design Course is developed by Trace Academia and hosted on the Trace Academia platform, in collaboration with Design School Azza Fahmy (DSAF).