By Victoria Onehi
President Muhammedu Buhari has said this administration has committed more resources to the development of the mining sector than any other government in the history of this country.
Buhari disclosed this while delivereng his speech at the opening ceremony of the 6th Edition of the Nigerian Mining Week which began in Abuja yesterday.
The President who was represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said the mining sector has always needed a transformational leap to contribute meaningfully to the envisioned economic growth of the country.
“At he beginning of our administration in 2015 we intentionally prioritised the development of the country’s mineral resources as one of the frontiers for economic growth. This led to the comprehensive Roadmap for the Growth and Development of the Nigerian Mining Sector and we have steadily followed the steps set out in the roadmap.
“And we are proud that the indices of development in the sector are rapidly changing. Part of these is the increased revenue generation and of course the unprecedented investment interest that the industry has attracted in the past few years. Nigeria, for the first time, has a world-class gold mine in Segilola, Osun state, operated by Thor Exploration. Also, Eta Zuma Mining and Industries limited, Mosra Enerji are mining and supplying the coal needs of Dangote and Bua Cement factories. In the steel industry, African Natural Resources and Mines limited, owners of the Kagarko Integrated Steel plant, is about to produce liquid Steel from its Iron ore mine in Kaduna State.
“As we have heard, The deployment of a digital application at the Mining Cadastre Office, Abuja, and its offices in the six geo-political zones of the country for the grant and administration of mining titles ( and by the way I will have the pleasure of commissioning this on- line innovation, the Electronic Mining Cadastre Plus, today).” Osinbajo said.
The Minister of Mines and Steel Development,Arch.Olamilekan Adegbite in his address said government revenues increased from two billion Naira in 2015 to over seven billion in 2021 indicating a major increase in mining activities in the field
” We shall intensify our efforts to work to make our mining sector more competitive in the global mining space and to satisfy the needs of our domestic global goals. We shall prioritise the development of critical minerals required in clean energy transition and reduction in green house permission to zero.
“Generation of Geological and Exploration Data to improve investment competitiveness. The Nigerian Geological Survey Agency intensified its exploration activities throughout the Country. The National Integrated Mineral Exploration Project, a flagship project of the Ministry is to generate geological information and discover more minerals is nearing completion. The National Integrated Minerals Exploration Project, generate geological information and discover more minerals. The results are fascinating as new mineral finds are discovered. “Adegbite said.
Acting National President, Miners Association of Nigeria, Alh. Musa Muhammad acknowledged that there has been increased interest of foreign investors due to the verifiable geological data being generated by the National Integrated Mineral Exploration Project (NIMEP), of the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency.
Musa further highlighted some progress made by government in the mining sector.
“Digitalization of mineral titles administration by the Mining Cadastre Office; Development of Cluster Buying Centers across the geopolitical zones,Standardization of the Nigerian Barite to meet up with global specifications; et all.”
In his welcome remarks,Cyril Azobu, Partner and Mining Industry Leader, PwC Nigeria said the industry has continued to grow and record notable achievements over the past seven years of its involvement in organising this forum in collaboration with other stakeholders, including the Ministry of Mines & Steel Development, the Miners Association of Nigeria and Vuka Group.
” For us at PwC, we are excited and confident about the future growth of Nigeria’s mining industry. In our role as advisors to both public and private sectors, we have helped catalyse and witnessed several companies successfully exploit the opportunities in the mining ecosystem.” He said.
.
