The Federal Government has intensified efforts to reposition Nigeria’s solid minerals sector as the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development announced a strategic partnership with the North Central Development Commission to unlock the vast mineral potential of the North Central region and boost job creation through local processing.
Speaking while receiving the management of the Commission in Abuja, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, said the collaboration aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s economic diversification agenda, particularly in driving value addition and formalising mining activities.
A statement issued on Sunday by the minister’s media aide, Lara Owoeye-Wise, said the government has ramped up efforts to sanitise the sector and integrate informal miners into the legal framework.
Alake disclosed that more than 300 artisanal and small-scale miners have been organised into cooperatives as part of a broader strategy to curb illegal mining and improve productivity.
The statement read, “The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has teamed up with the North Central Development Commission to unlock the vast mining potential of the North Central region and increase jobs through mineral processing.
“We have intensified persuasive engagement across mining communities, and as a result, over 300 small-scale and artisanal miners have now been organised into cooperatives. This is part of our deliberate effort to move them away from illegal operations and integrate them into the formal sector where they can contribute meaningfully to the economy.”
The minister added that enforcement actions against illegal mining have also yielded results, with hundreds of suspects already facing prosecution.