Featured

100 Days: Alake’s Midas Touch Spurs Global Interest in Mining Sector

Published

3 years ago

December 3, 2023

By Segun Tomori

The world over, the first 100 days of a leader’s assumption of office usually sets the tone for his leadership style, gives a glimpse into the policy direction and lays the foundation for assessing his vision or otherwise. Conceptualized by the then United States President Franklin Roosevelt, it soon became a benchmark, globally, to measure the early success of a president or public servant.

The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development (MSMD), though hitherto co-existing with Steel Development as Ministry of Mines and Steel, Nigerians and indeed the international community paid scant regard to it, despite having the potential to generate at least $700bn revenue. Almost every state in Nigeria has a preponderance of most sought-after mineral resources in commercial quantities, yet the potential of the sector remained under-utilized, absence of efficient governance structures stifled development alongside the menace of illegal mining and opaque nature of the sector. Visibility for the industry was also hampered by fixation on oil by successive governments, but all of that changed with the advent of President Bola Tinubu administration and the appointment of Dr. Dele Alake as Minister.

Alake swung into action by conceptualizing a 7-point agenda that pragmatically seeks to reform, restore investor confidence, and renew global interest. He identified eight (8) priority minerals that require immediate intervention and focus – gold, baryte, iron-ore, lead/zinc, coal, limestone, bitumen, and lithium. Within his first 100 days, several landmarks have been recorded already. Of particular significance is the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a German firm, Geo Scan GmbN who will deploy their cutting-edge proprietary technology that will be able to explore mineral resources up to 10,000m below the earth. The firm will deploy its plant and establish its technology at no cost to Nigeria. This will culminate in the generation of big data on specific eight priority minerals and their deposits – a cardinal plank of the Minister’s agenda.

Recently, Alake launched revised guidelines for Community Development Agreements (CDA), which aims to ensure host communities derive maximum benefits from operations of mining companies whilst requisite royalties accruable to government is secured for economic development. “The mining companies must ensure that host communities enjoy the benefit of minerals in the belly of their land while host communities must also ensure a free and unfettered environment for smooth operations. Without peace, there will be no gain for anybody”, he asserted, at the launch. At a separate fora, Dr. Alake pledged to strengthen the ministry’s mines inspectorate to enhance its ability to ascertain authenticity of mining agreements and also hinted about a role for traditional rulers in the signing of agreements on behalf of host communities.

In furtherance of reforms, Dr. Alake announced, days ago, the revocation of 1,633 mining licenses due to default in payment of stipulated annual service fees. The operators had exceeded by almost three weeks, the 30-day notice to clear their indebtedness, issued by the Mining Cadastral Office (MCO) as stipulated by Sections 11 and 12 of the Nigerian Mineral Mining Act (NMMA). Reading the riot act to other category of defaulting operators, Alake declared that the era of shortchanging government in royalties and taxes, amongst others, is over, warning illegal miners to also desist from their illicit trade. “Like I always say, a new sheriff is in town. President Tinubu has the political will and is committed to total reforms. Those that refuse to turn a new leaf will be made to face the full wrath of the law”.

Plans for the establishment of Mines Police and mine surveillance task force to effectively secure the mining environment are in full swing. The clearest indication of this was the visit of Minister of Defence, HE Abubakar Badru and his Minister of State, HE Bello Matawelle to Alake’s office, few weeks ago. Giving an insight into what transpired at the meeting, Matawelle pledged unalloyed support and collaboration with the solid minerals ministry to secure all mining sites in the country, restating the significance of the sector to Nigeria’s economic development. On the new security architecture, Dr. Alake emphasized that the outfit will encompass an infusion of a huge dose of technology while its structure will be developed in collaboration with all inter-military agencies. Part of proposed technological innovations will be the capacity to covertly monitor all mining sites in the country, detect intrusion, and provide rapid response to nip threats in the bud.

Aside from giant strides on the home front, engaging the international community on the prospects of investing in a revamped mining sector has been a top priority for the minister in the last 100 days. Quite a number of diplomatic shuttles have started yielding fruits. A deal for free training of Nigerian mining professionals on modern mining technology and practices was signed in Australia by Dr. Alake on behalf of Nigeria, and Hon. Bill Johnston, the Australian Minister of Mines and Petroleum, on behalf of Australia. Nigerian miners will benefit from training, study trips, and exchanges of mineral professionals, while the collaboration will also attract foreign direct investment, enabling Nigeria to compete globally.

Just days ago, the Minister made a strong pitch for investment in Nigeria’s mining sector at the Mines and Money Conference in London. He thrilled his audience with advantages of investing in Nigeria, citing lower production costs due to surface mining and billions of dollars of untapped minerals lying fallow in the country. “The country’s geological bounty encompasses over 44 distinct mineral types, found in exploitable quantities, across more than 500 locations. Recently, recognizing the evolving global landscape and in response to emerging trends, Lithium has been included as a crucial strategic mineral of global consequence”, he added. Not done, The Minister assured that the Tinubu administration is dismantling bottlenecks to ease of doing business in the sector, addressing security challenges and placing premium on solid minerals beneficiation and value-addition, as a panacea for sustainable growth in the sector.

A major highlight of the enthusiasm that trailed Dr. Alake’s performance was the subsequent high-level meeting with British Deputy Prime Minister, Oliver Dowden. Dowden, who chairs British National Economic Security Council, is interested in partnering with Nigeria on energy minerals such as Lithium. Alongside founder of Carousel Bio-energy, Jafar Hilali, the British leader promised to facilitate investment by a consortium of British companies in the Lithium value chain that will culminate in the production of Lithium battery powered energy buses for the Nigerian domestic market. In the spirit of strengthened relations, Mr. Dowden seized the occasion to convey the invitation of the British Government to President Tinubu to attend the African summit, scheduled for next year.

On the sidelines of the London conference was also a meeting with the United States Assistant Secretary for Energy and Natural Resources, Geoffrey Pratt. Both leaders agreed to set up a joint team of officials to explore financing for credit to mining firms and infrastructures. Pratt expressed satisfaction with the ongoing reforms announced by the Minister at the plenary of the conference, stressing that the US would like to be Nigeria’s partner of choice in developing the solid minerals sector.

Already, there is palpable excitement in the mining industry on account of the renewed interest of government in the sector. Alake’s office has been a beehive of activities as local and foreign investors continue to troop in, seeking to contribute their quota to mining sector development.

In just three months, Dr. Alake has led the charge with the dexterity of a skilful visionary, shifting global attention to Nigeria’s solid mineral resources. The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris during a recent courtesy visit, aptly captured the essence of the “Alake magic”- “Since he came here, he has managed to put solid minerals on the front burner, to the extent that people are becoming extremely envious of this ministry, because of the work he has done. It is not a mistake that the president brought him here. He knows that he can turn things around”.

Like they say, “the reward for good work is more work”. That will be the mantra of the Minister as he seeks to consolidate on his “Agenda for the Transformation of Solid minerals for International Competitiveness and Domestic Prosperity”. Key elements like creation of the Nigerian Solid Minerals Corporation; Joint Ventures with Mining Multinationals; Creation of six (6) Mineral Processing centres to focus on value-added products amongst others, will ascend the implementation stage, in the coming months. Indeed, it is a new dawn for the mining sector. Renewed Hope is here!

Segun Tomori is the Special Assistant on Media to the Honourable Minister of Solid Minerals Development

Share on Facebook

Business

Turning Africa’s Raw Materials Into Wealth: The ARMS 2026 Industrial Agenda

Published

4 days ago

September 29, 2026

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

For decades, Africa’s vast natural resources have powered industries and economies far beyond the continent, while many African countries have remained largely exporters of unprocessed commodities and importers of finished products.

That familiar pattern is now coming under renewed scrutiny as policymakers, researchers, investors and industrialists seek to change the direction of Africa’s resource economy.

At the centre of that conversation is the second edition of the Africa Raw Materials Summit (ARMS 2026), scheduled for October 19 and 20 at the Abuja Continental Hotel, Abuja, under the theme: “From African Feedstock to African Factories.”

Organised by the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), the summit is being positioned as more than another gathering of policymakers and industry stakeholders. It is intended to provide a platform for confronting the structural challenges that have kept African raw materials largely disconnected from local manufacturing.

Africa has for years operated largely within a “pit-to-port” economic model, exporting raw materials while importing expensive finished products.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the summit on Tuesday in Abuja, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of RMRDC, Prof. Nnanyelugo Martin Ike-Muonso, said the event would bring together policymakers, investors, researchers, technology providers and industrialists to develop practical strategies for transforming Africa’s abundant natural resources into industrial wealth.

The challenge, therefore, is not simply the abundance of resources, but the continent’s ability to transform those resources into industrial value, employment, technology and wealth within Africa.

Nigeria alone, according to the RMRDC, has more than $582.4 billion in documented non-renewable natural resources, while the wider continent possesses substantial deposits of critical minerals, agricultural raw materials and industrial feedstock.

Yet, the benefits of this resource endowment have often been constrained by inadequate processing capacity, weak infrastructure, limited technology, financing gaps and fragmented regional value chains.

From Dialogue to Industrial Action

ARMS 2026 builds on the maiden edition held in May 2025, which attracted more than 1,000 delegates from across the world.

The inaugural summit also witnessed the unveiling of the Ten-Year Raw Materials Transformation Roadmap (2025–2034) by the Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owen Enoh.

The roadmap was designed around areas including technological capability, climate-resilient processing and backward integration, establishing a policy framework for greater domestic utilisation of Africa’s raw materials.

The second edition is expected to move the conversation further by bringing policy, capital, technology and industrial stakeholders around practical mechanisms for turning raw materials into locally manufactured products.

One of the major proposals highlighted by the RMRDC is the 30 per cent Mandatory Value Addition Bill, which seeks to establish a statutory minimum level of value addition to Nigerian raw materials before export.

The Council says the proposed framework could support job creation, import substitution, foreign-exchange conservation and increased manufacturing contribution to the economy.

Building the Infrastructure for Value Addition

The industrial transformation envisaged by ARMS 2026 goes beyond legislation.

A major concern is the “missing middle” between where raw materials are produced and where factories are located.

Poor transportation networks, inadequate cold-chain facilities, weak rural roads, limited testing and certification infrastructure and border-related delays can make locally sourced materials more expensive and less competitive.

Consequently, logistics and infrastructure constitute one of the five principal pillars of the summit.

The objective is to develop more reliable corridors connecting farms and mines with processing centres and manufacturing facilities, thereby reducing losses and improving the movement of industrial inputs.

The Digital Dimension

Technology is also becoming an important part of the Council’s strategy.

The RMRDC says it has developed the Nigeria Integrated Information Statistical System for Raw Materials and Products (NISSRAMP), described as a digital repository containing information on feedstock deposits, specifications, production outputs and industrial absorption rates.

The Council has also highlighted its transition towards paperless operations and its certification as a Data Controller/Processor of Major Importance by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission.

Such digital infrastructure could provide investors and manufacturers with better information about the availability and characteristics of raw materials while supporting more informed industrial planning.

Turning Waste Into Industrial Inputs

Another major component of ARMS 2026 is the proposed expansion of the circular economy.

The summit will examine how agricultural by-products, mine tailings, scrap metals and biomass can be recovered and reused as inputs for new production processes rather than being treated simply as waste.

The RMRDC argues that such an approach could lower raw-material costs while supporting more sustainable and climate-resilient manufacturing systems.

For Africa, where industrial expansion must increasingly balance economic development with environmental considerations, waste industrialisation could become an important part of the continent’s manufacturing conversation.

From National Production to African Value Chains

The African Continental Free Trade Area is another important element of the summit’s agenda.

The RMRDC sees AfCFTA as an opportunity to create regional value chains in which raw materials sourced in one African country can be processed and supplied to manufacturers in another.

Under such a model, Africa would move beyond simply exporting commodities to external markets and develop stronger internal networks for supplying chemicals, refined minerals, agricultural inputs and other industrial materials across national borders.

This approach places regional integration at the heart of Africa’s industrialisation strategy.

Bridging Research and Capital

A recurring weakness in many developing economies is the gap between research and commercialisation.

Innovations may emerge from universities, research institutions and laboratories without receiving the financing, equipment or market connections required to become commercially viable.

ARMS 2026 intends to address that gap through technology commercialisation and capital linkages, connecting research outputs with investors, development finance institutions and industrial off-takers.

The RMRDC has also cited partnerships with the Bank of Industry for commercial-scale post-harvest processing and a South-South technology-transfer partnership with the National Innovation Centre par Excellence in Shanghai, China.

A Larger Industrial Conversation

The scale of ARMS 2026 is expected to be significantly larger than the maiden edition.

The organisers project more than 1,800 delegates from all 54 African countries and global industrial partners.

The programme will feature high-level policy dialogues, technical panels, an advanced raw materials and technology exhibition, industrial site visits and the African Raw Materials Industry Awards.

The exhibition, in particular, is expected to showcase locally fabricated processing machinery, advanced domestic materials, green chemicals and engineered commercial inputs.

Beyond the speeches and exhibitions, however, the real significance of ARMS 2026 will ultimately depend on what happens after the summit.

Africa’s challenge has never been a shortage of raw materials. The more difficult question has been how to transform those resources into factories, products, skilled employment, technology and sustainable economic opportunities.

For Nigeria and the rest of the continent, the proposed shift from “pit-to-port” to “feedstock-to-factory” therefore represents a broader debate about the future structure of African economies.

ARMS 2026 seeks to place that debate firmly on the industrial agenda — with value addition, technology, finance, infrastructure, circular production and regional trade at the centre.

If the commitments and partnerships generated by the summit translate into measurable industrial activity, the event could provide another platform for Africa to examine how its enormous resource base can support stronger domestic manufacturing.

The message from the organisers is clear: the continent’s raw materials should not only leave African soil as commodities; they should increasingly become the foundation for African industrial production

Share on Facebook