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FG Thumbs APRM team on successful CSAR process in Nigeria

Published

5 years ago

October 8, 2021

… Review will strength sustainable economic development-Princess Akobundu

Joel Ajayi
Federal government have commended the entire Africa Peer Review Mechanism APRM team for the deligent and excellent work that lead the the successful completion of Country self Assessment Report CSAR process in Nigeria
The Secretary to the Goverment of the Federation Boss Mustapha, gave this commendation on Thursday in Abuja during the FCT town hall meeting and Final Validation of the Country Self-Assessment Report of the Federal Republic of Nigeria commended the APRM team for good job that will help Nigeria.
SGF Boss who was Represented by Director International Organisation, Political and Economic Affairs, office of the SGF, Mrs Victoria Agbor, said validation with relevant stakeholders in the Abuja, being the seat of government was very key in the CSAR process.
According to him, The Town Hall Meeting is geared towards interacting with relevant stakeholders at all echelon grassroots with the view to gather inputs for a credible and error free report Country self Assessment Report
“I want to use this occasion to commend the entire team for their selfless service on the reviews.
“APRM being the brain child of AUDA-NEPAD has the mandate to promote, monitor and assess the implementation of developmental programmes and policies for the enthronement of good governance, ” Mustapha said.

In her opening addressed, the National Coordinator/Chief Executive Officer, African Union Development Agency (AUDA)-a new partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) in Nigeria Princess Gloria Akobundu have said that the data generated in all the consultations including this Town Hall Meeting during the APRM review process will strengthen the new National Programme of Action (NPoA) for sustainable economic growth and development.

She revealed that Country Self-Assessment Report is based on facts and statistics in line with the guideline of the Country Review Process.

Princess Akobundu commended President Muhamadu Buhari and other relevant stakeholders for their courageous and exemplary leadership as well as support and approval for the conduct of the Second Peer Review Process of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

According to her, the data generated in all the consultations including this Town Hall Meeting will strengthen the new National Programme of Action (NPoA) for sustainable economic growth and development.

“The primary objective of the APRM is to foster the adoption of policies, standards and practices that lead to political stability, high economic growth, sustainable development and accelerated regional and continental economic integration.

“This could be achieved through experience sharing, reinforcement of successful best practices, including identifying deficiencies and assessment of requirements for capacity building. It also has obligation to Track, Monitor, Assesses and report on the impact of the implementation of AU Agenda 2063, SDGs and UN Agenda 2030 on Socio-Economic Development for quality leadership.

“The journey of the Second Review of Nigeria commenced on the 8th of March 2019 at the instance of Mr President’s kind approval.

“As you are aware, the APRM was established in 2003 by Heads of State and Government of African Union as a unique accountability method for African countries to review each other’s governance and hold the Member States accountable. The Mechanism is an innovative and bold attempt by Africa to improve the governance and the well-being of all citizens.

“The Country Self-Assessment Report (CSAR) is a justification of the data collected through administration of Review Questionnaire by the National Governing Council (NGC) to the public and private sectors including the critical sectors both virtually and physically, which is among the requirements for effective country self-assessment.

“The AU-APRM Review Process is carried out based on a Country’s performance in four thematic areaDemocracy and Political Governance (DPG) Economic Management and Governance (EMG) Corporate Governance (CG) and Socio-Economic Development (SED)”

She added that Mr President and the Federal Executive Council approved the Country Self –Assessment Report for Validation by Country Review Mission on the 23rd of June 2021 in line with the guideline of the AU-APRM review process and road map.

“The Validation Exercise is all-inclusive at different levels and sectors, and today marks the completion of the Validation exercise of our dear Country Self-Assessment Report.

On his own addressed, the National Governing Council NGC Chairman Senator Abba Ali said Country Self-Assessment Report is based on facts and statistics in line with the guideline of the Country Review Process.

“The APRM Review Process is based on a country’s performance. The overall, process seeks to entrench good governance practices in participating states by deepening the principles of democracy, transparency, accountability, integrity, respect for human rights, and promotion of rule of law, in order to create an enabling environment for sustainable development.

“It is of reality that the process has been transparent and credible in line with the Review guideline and policy. Your inputs will strengthen the formulation of the new National Programme of Action (NPoA) which will be implemented at all levels.”

He urged stakeholders to lend their voice in the final face to enable undiluted process and error-free Country Self-Assessment Report for Nigeria.Meanwhile every nook and cranny of the country was touched as FCT Abuja climaxed the review

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Alake Inaugurates Nigeria-US Solid Minerals Committee, Dismisses $700bn Claim, Says No Assets Sold

Published

1 day ago

October 28, 2026

The Gleamer

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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