BY AKUDORO GLORIA
Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has urged South African investors and global mining giants to capitalize on the opportunities in Nigeria’s mining sector.
The Minister spoke at the inaugural International Investment Forum and Roadshow in South Africa for the Solid Minerals Sector in Nigeria.
The Minister, in a statement issued on Sunday by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Segun Tomori, emphasized Nigeria’s readiness for business, citing the renewed emphasis on solid minerals development by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He outlined that aggressive promotion of the sector is central to his Seven-Point Agenda, while affirming that the strategy has successfully redirected global attention to Nigeria’s mining industry, culminating in increased investments and a significant rise in revenue generation for the country.
“Our vision is to establish a sector where global mining giants—such as Glencore, Rio Tinto, Intro-Africa Mining & Exploration, and Rainbow Mines—recognize Nigeria’s vast mineral resources and collaborate with us to maximize the benefits of these resources for our citizens and economic development of the nation,” the minister added.
Highlighting the positive impact of recent reforms, the Minister, represented by the permanent secretary Dr Mary Ogbe, pointed out that the introduction of the Electronic Mining Cadastral System (EMC+) has streamlined the licensing process, enabling a fully digitized application system for mining licenses.
According to the Minister, the newly launched Nigeria Minerals Decision Support System (NMDSS) offers critical hydrological, geological, and geographical data that will assist potential investors in making informed decisions.
The host of the investment forum, Ag. Nigeria High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador Tope Ajayi in his remarks, stated that the conference aims to showcase the vast solid minerals potentials of Nigeria to South-African investors, secure valuable collaborations with the ministry and get the needed capital investment that will spur rapid development of the mining sector.
In a related development, Dr. Ogbe who representated the Minister in a panel session, while fielding questions from diverse investors, sensitized the audience on improved business climate in the mining sector and reeled out incentives for prospective investors.
“As a result of these productive engagements which also include private break-out sessions with investors, several companies expressed strong interest in investing in Nigeria. Many of these companies are expected to formalize partnerships during the upcoming Nigeria Mining Week, which will take place from November 18-20, 2024.
“The event will bring together several South African mining companies and financial institutions to further strengthen the cooperation forged at the Johannesburg investment forum,” it stated.