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FG propose Unique Sports Development Plan
…as Algeria Host Sports Ministers November
Joel Ajayi
The Federal Republic of Nigeria has proposed and delivered a unique sports development plan for the African continent tagged ‘Abuja Initiative’.
This initiative will accelerate the drive for sports development on the continent of Africa by strengthening unity amongst African countries through the instrument of sports. It is a deliberate decision taken by the four Youth and Sports Ministers from Nigeria, Ghana, Algeria and Egypt, with the core agenda to drive sports development in Africa.
Nigeria’s Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare disclosed this at a press briefing to herald events marking the 40th anniversary of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) at its headquarters in Abuja.
During the briefing, Mr. Sunday Dare along with his counterparts from Ghana, Algeria and Egypt explained to newsmen that the Youth and Sports Development Ministers deliberated extensively on ways and means of moving sports to the desired level of attaining socio-economic development for the growth of African countries, stressing ‘’ the Abuja initiative plan is a plan of action initiated not only to plug into ANOCA vision but also, to drive sports development in Africa’’.
To this end, the Minister stated that a 16-man technical committee has been constituted by the four Ministers of Youth and Sports Development(Nigeria, Ghana, Algeria and Egypt) with the main objective of presenting an agenda to the meeting of Sports Ministers in Africa in Algiers, which is scheduled to hold in November this year.
Dare also sensitized the media on the crucial goals set before the 16-man technical committee before the meeting slated to hold in Algiers in November.
These include amongst, others proposing a taskforce comprising of IOC representative and a team of Youth and Sports Ministers that will drive African sports development, collectively focusing on youth and sports growth for socio-political development. He further emphasized the importance of collaboration and synergy of efforts amongst ANOCA, Association of African Sports Confederations(USCA) and Youth and Sports Development Ministers in Africa to achieve set goals for youth and sports development on the continent.
Featured
Alake Inaugurates Nigeria-US Solid Minerals Committee, Dismisses $700bn Claim, Says No Assets Sold
Joel Ajayi
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, on Tuesday inaugurated the Nigeria-United States Committee on Strategic Cooperation in the Solid Minerals Sector in Abuja, dismissing reports that Nigeria sold $700 billion worth of solid minerals to the US.
The inauguration followed the strategic cooperation framework established between Nigeria and the United States during the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Head PRESS and Public Relations Department Mrs. Kania Maliki Andeyaba stated that, Alake in the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, signed with the US is a government-to-government platform to facilitate business-to-business engagements between American investors and Nigerian local operators, not a sale of assets.
Harping on the importance of the solid minerals sector to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic diversification agenda, he noted that the administration was committed to reducing dependence on a mono-product economy through the sustainable development of Nigeria’s vast mineral resources.
According to him, the Nigeria–US partnership as a strategic initiative to attract investment, promote technology transfer, strengthen local mineral processing and create employment opportunities.
“There is no sale of any Nigerian asset. There’s nothing exchanging hands,” Alake declared.
“We created a platform to facilitate mingling of US investment ventures with Nigeria’s local operators. It is in the public domain. We signed it in public and published it in four or five national newspapers.”
The Minister said reports claiming the US was coming to take over Nigeria’s minerals and security architecture were untrue at best and products of riotous imagination at worst.
Explaining the policy thrust, Alake said Africa has historically held the short end of the stick in global economic transactions, and Nigeria is determined to change that model.
“We have the resources, the critical elements the world needs to transit to clean energy. So we are creating a new paradigm — you bring your capital, expertise and technology, to match with our natural resources and create a win-win situation . The investor gains, Nigeria gains.’’he said.
Nigeria, he stressed, had operated a mono-cultural economy dependent on oil, while solid minerals were exploited informally — with ores taken “from pit to port” without value addition.
Alake said government has now made local processing mandatory, refusing to grant mineral titles to investors without a clear pathway to processing in Nigeria.
He said the policy led to the springing up of processing factories, including the largest lithium processing plant in West Africa commissioned recently in Nasarawa by the Vice President, and informed the formation of the African Minerals Strategy Group.
Alake noted that investor confidence has returned due to macro-economic reforms by President Bola Tinubu that guarantee security of tenure and repatriation of profits.
He charged the committee to discharge its assignment responsibly, saying its work is strategic to achieving the President’s $1 trillion economy target.
To this end, he told the Committee to ensure effective coordination, identify investment opportunities and translate the framework into measurable outcomes capable of positioning Nigeria as a competitive player in the global solid minerals industry.
In his welcome address, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Engr. Faruk Yusuf Yabo, said the inauguration translates growing bilateral engagements into a structured framework for practical cooperation and investment mobilization
Economic Officer at the US Embassy, Jonathan Baas, said President Donald Trump has prioritized three areas for US embassies — energy, artificial intelligence/super intelligence, and critical minerals.
Baas said Washington’s direction is to work with partners to secure critical supply chains while ensuring partners capture value.
“We just signed a contract today on looking into building AI data centres in Nigeria at the Nigerian Economic Summit. That’s the direction Washington wants us to go,” he said.
In his vote of thanks, CEO/Managing Director of Nigeria Solid Minerals Company, NSMC said that the committee
is expected to coordinate implementation, facilitate investment and monitor progress towards achieving the objectives of the Nigeria–US cooperation framework.
The inauguration reinforces the Federal Government’s commitment to repositioning the solid minerals sector as a key driver of economic diversification, industrial development and national prosperity under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
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