Solid minerals will boost Nigeria’s economy by 50% – Dele Alake
Mr. Dele Alake, Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals, has announced ambitious plans to boost the country’s economy by at least 50%.
He disclosed that his ministry is determined to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to Nigeria.
His initiative revolves around a comprehensive seven-point agenda:
In a document seen by NewsTimes, the seven-point agenda includes the creation of the Nigerian Solid Minerals Corporation, Joint Ventures with Mining Multinationals, Big Data on specific seven priority minerals and their deposits, 30-day grace for illegal miners to join artisanal cooperatives.
Others are the Mines Surveillance Task Force and Mine Police, a Comprehensive review of all mining licenses and the creation of six (6) Mineral Processing Centres to focus on Value-Added products.
What he said
Mr Alake said,
- “The Ministry has to take the bull by the horns if the country must reap the harvest of the trillion dollar’s worth of minerals under the ground across the country”.
- “To achieve this laudable objective, there has to be a paradigm shift in the strategy by re-positioning the sector in terms of the human and capital factors that can drive its transformation”.
On the creation of the Nigerian Solid Minerals Corporation, the Minister said:
- “Mining is big business. Nigeria must assert its presence in this environment by replicating its strategic positioning in the petroleum sector by setting up a corporate body that plays in this field”.
- “Consequently, the Ministry shall work towards the incorporation of the Nigerian Solid Minerals Corporation.”
