Mining
The Nigeria Mining Week is targeting initiatives to support artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM), promote investment, enhance safety and drive compliance with global best practices.
The National President of the Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN), Dele Ayankale, stated this on Tuesday in Abuja while declaring open the 11th edition of the week, themed ‘Unlocking Investment and Growth through Partnerships’.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the two – day event is organised by MAN in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Nigeria and the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).
Ayankale said the week had become a platform for incubating innovative ideas, introducing global mining technologies and methodologies, and unveiling milestones in regulatory oversight.
He added that business linkages were formed and deals closed with local and international investors, noting that the 11th edition targeted partnerships to drive growth in Nigeria’s critical minerals sector amid rising demand for minerals used in the energy transition.
“Small-scale title holders and indigenous operators are educated on global best practice and local operating standards at the mining week.
“Over the past ten years, Nigeria Mining Work has led the conversations that have shaped the growth of Nigeria’s sold minerals sector,” he said.
The MAN president said the theme reflected the association’s conviction that partnerships were crucial to repositioning the sector.
“The theme for this edition, “Unlocking Investment and Growth through Partnerships”, reflects a conviction the association has held for many years.
“The strength of our sector lies in collaboration. Our partnership with the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development with investors, sponsors and industry stakeholders has been instrumental in shaping policy.
“Also in improving operational standards and building trust in the sector, no single party can carry the weight of the transformation Nigeria requires,” he said.
Ayankale said the week featured seven strategic forums, including deal rooms and technical workshops, designed to promote practical solutions and direct engagement between operators and investors.
He urged participants to commit to a shared vision of a mining policy that attracted investment, created jobs, promoted local value addition, empowered communities and contributed significantly to Nigeria’s economic development.
”Together we can transform our mineral wealth to everlasting natural prosperity.
“Together we can unlock the full potential of Nigeria’s mining industry,” he said.
Also speaking, Cyril Azobu, leader of PwC Nigeria, said unlocking Nigeria’s mineral endowment required collaboration among the government, mining companies, investors, financiers, communities and development partners.
Azobu said such collaboration was necessary to create conditions that would enable viable projects to attract capital, develop successfully and generate lasting economic value.
“Looking ahead, the priority should be to covert Nigeria’s mineral potential into bankable projects and productive assets.
“This will require government to continue creating an enabling and predictable investment environment,” he said.
He said developing Nigeria’s minerals sector would require partnerships that brought together local knowledge, international expertise and finance.
In his remarks, Prof. Olusegun Ige, Director-General of the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA), stressed the need for mining companies holding exploration licences to disclose information on mineral discoveries.
Ige expressed confidence that discussions at the event would help reposition the mining sector for sustainable development. (NAN)
