By Martha Agas
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, says Nigeria`s focus on mining is beyond domestic reforms.
Alake stated this at a news briefing ahead of the 10th edition of Nigeria’s Mining Week, themed `Nigeria Mining: From Progress to Global Relevance`, on Friday in Abuja.
He said that in the last three years, the Federal Government had galvanised domestic reforms and policy initiatives to transform the mining sector.
“We are positioning Nigeria to compete globally and to be recognised as the mining investment destination of choice, leveraging on our vast mineral endowments, our improving regulatory environment and our commitment to sustainable development.
“ Under the Renewable Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, our ministry had pursued reforms aimed at improving transparency, de-risking investment and unlocking value across the mineral value chain,“ Alake said.
He said some of the key achievements included strengthening the Mining Cadastre Office for transparent licensing and establishing a new Solid Minerals Development Roadmap that focuses on democratisation, infrastructure and local content.
Alake listed other achievements to include the deployment of the Nigerian Mineral Resources Decision Support System, development of a value-addition and diversification framework to promote local processing and job creation and the establishment of the Nigerian Mining Corporation.
“ There’s also the introduction of new guidelines for community development agreements, CDAs, to ensure that host communities benefit directly from mining activities in their environment,“ he said.
The minister said the 10th edition of the Mining Week promises to be the most impactful with about 100 exhibitors showcasing cutting-edge mining technologies and equipment, and about more than 1,000 delegates and participants from within and outside Nigeria.
Alake said activities at the event would include high-level mining discussions and investment forums featuring global mining executives, financiers, and policy makers, stakeholders from around the globe.
“There is G2B, what we call government-to-business and B2B, which will be business to business networking and expanded investment pavilion highlighting Nigeria`s critical minerals, including Lithium, gold, tin and rare earth element, “ he said.
In his remarks, Mr Dele Ayankale, President of the Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN), said the 10th edition of the mining week marks a decade of impact, innovation and collaboration in the solid minerals sector.
He said the platform had remained a catalyst for dialogue, reform and innovation, bridging the gap between policy and practice, operators and investors, and ideas and implementation.
According to him, Nigeria has witnessed significant strides in exploration, artisanal mining formalisation, investment inflows and the adoption of modern technologies to drive sustainability.
On his part, Habeeb Jaiyeola, Partner and Head Mining Sector Business Development, PwC Nigeria ,said that the mining week had served as the foremost platform for shaping the conversation on Nigeria`s mining sector.
Jaiyeola said the event’s theme focuses on building investor-ready mining models, promoting local value addition, unlocking small-scale mining finance, and strengthening Environmental, Social, and Governance standards in Nigeria.
The Nigeria Mining Week, holding from Oct. 13 to Oct. 15, is organised by the Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN) in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and the VUKA Group.
