By Martha Agas
The Nigeria Mining Week is focusing on initiatives to help artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM), promote funding, improve security and drive compliance with international greatest practices.
The National President of the Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN), Dele Ayankale, said this on Tuesday in Abuja whereas declaring open the eleventh version of the week, with the theme, ‘Unlocking Investment and Growth through Partnerships’.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) experiences that the 2 – day occasion is organised by MAN in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Nigeria and the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).
Ayankale mentioned the week had change into a platform for incubating revolutionary concepts, introducing international mining applied sciences and methodologies, and unveiling milestones in regulatory oversight.
He added that enterprise linkages have been fashioned and offers closed with native and worldwide traders, noting that the eleventh version focused partnerships to drive progress in Nigeria’s vital minerals sector amid rising demand for minerals used within the power 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 Week has led the conversations that have shaped the growth of Nigeria’s sold minerals sector,” he mentioned.
The MAN president mentioned the theme mirrored the affiliation’s conviction that partnerships have been essential to repositioning the sector.
“The theme for this edition, “Unlocking Investment and Growth through Partnerships”, displays a conviction the affiliation has held for a few 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 mentioned.
Ayankale mentioned the week featured seven strategic boards, together with deal rooms and technical workshops, designed to advertise sensible options and direct engagement between operators and traders.
He urged members to decide to a shared imaginative and prescient of a mining coverage that attracted funding, created jobs, promoted native worth addition, empowered communities and contributed considerably to Nigeria’s financial growth.
”Together we will remodel our mineral wealth to eternal pure prosperity.
“Together we can unlock the full potential of Nigeria’s mining industry,” he mentioned.
Also talking, Cyril Azobu, Partner and Mining Industry chief, PwC Nigeria, mentioned unlocking Nigeria’s mineral endowment required collaboration among the many authorities, mining corporations, traders, financiers, communities and growth companions.
Azobu mentioned such collaboration was essential to create circumstances that might allow viable tasks to draw capital, develop efficiently and generate lasting financial worth.
“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 mentioned.
He mentioned creating Nigeria’s minerals sector would require partnerships that introduced collectively native data, worldwide experience and finance.
In his remarks, Prof. Olusegun Ige, Director-General of the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA), careworn the necessity for mining corporations holding exploration licences to reveal info on mineral discoveries.
Ige mentioned offering the data to the related authorities would improve entry to geological knowledge for public and trade use.
He expressed confidence that discussions on the occasion would assist reposition the mining sector for sustainable growth. (NAN)
Edited by Gabriel Yough
