The Minister of Mines and Steel Development Arc. Olamilekan Adegbite, has said that the Ministry was open to collaborating with Belgium to further develop the mining sector.
The Minister disclosed this during the visit of the Belgian ambassador to the ministry recently.
In a statement signed by Special Assistant on Media, Mr Ayodeji Adeyemi, the Minister revealed that the ministry’s recent achievement in the area of local barite production that met the American Petroleum Institute (API) standard would save the country millions of dollars spent on importing barite.
The minister revealed that the country was also looking towards importing barite to some African countries.
“Last year we launched the Nigerian barite to show that we can now produce barite that meets the API standard in our country. This will save us millions of dollars spent on importing barite every year, which would also create jobs and lead to skills specialisation in some specific fields. We are also looking at the possibilities of eventually exporting barite to other African countries which would earn our country revenue.”
Adegbite further told the ambassador that the ministry was creating a viable gold ecosystem in the country, opening up areas for foreign investors to take up stakes in the gold subsector. He noted that a Canadian company Thor Exploration had started producing gold in commercial quantities through the Segilola Gold Project in Osun state.
‘Nigeria has a lot of gold and we are developing the sector to attract more investment. Nigeria is not just about oil and gas. We are richly endowed with diverse mineral assets in varying mixes and proven reserves. As we pursue our growth innovations through continued exploration, more mineral types and finds are being discovered. We can confirm that every zone in Nigeria has some minerals to bring to the national table of resource riches. As of today, about 44 minerals have been identified,’ he said.
The minister also informed the ambassador about the mining-related clusters in the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. “These activities will boost the productivity of artisanal and small-scale mining, generate wealth and create employment opportunities for the youths. The programme is financed by the Federal Government under the COVID 19 Stimulus Programme. The programme comprises the set-up of a Gold Souk (market) in Kano to encourage import substitution, Gemstone Marketing and Processing Center in Ibadan, Gold Processing Center in Mopa-Muro in Kogi State, Barite Processing Center in Ogoja, Kaoline Processing Facility in Bauchi and the Lead Zinc Processing Center in Abakaliki.” he said.
Adegbite also revealed that the ministry had instituted some business-friendly incentives and policies in the sector to make it more attractive to foreign investors.
“Some of the incentives we have instituted to make the sector more attractive to investors include Customs and import duties waiver for plant, machinery and equipment imported for mining operations. Tax holidays of between three to five years as applicable. Free transferability of funds and permission to retain and use earned foreign exchange.”
The Belgian Ambassador to Nigeria Daniel Bertrand, in his remark, expressed his country’s interest in the sector. ‘I am just looking to see if there is any possibility of cooperation between both countries as your sector is concerned.’ he said.
