Nigeria’s mineral and mining sector is witnessing renewed momentum, with experts urging the Federal Government to adopt deliberate, home-grown policies that attract global investors while empowering local players to build sustainable capacity.
Speaking at the Nigeria Mining Week 2025 in Abuja, Prof. Akinade Olatunji, Senior Project Consultant at Rapidlink Resources, said Nigeria now boasts a world-class legal framework, workable roadmap, and reinvigorated regulatory environment all geared toward transforming the industry into a globally competitive hub.
He noted that these reforms have reset the national mining agenda, drawing both local and international attention to Nigeria’s vast mineral potential. “The agenda has been reset and is being actualised,” Olatunji said, adding that the reforms are “designed to attract international mining giants into Nigeria’s mineral and mining space.”
However, he raised concerns about the real impact of these reforms, questioning how many world-class firms courted by Nigeria have actually commenced operations. “Can we guarantee their fidelity to the Nigerian course if they come?” he asked.
Olatunji urged the government to learn from the oil and gas sector, where intentional policies created strong indigenous firms. “Can we pursue home-grown solutions by leveraging domestic experiences in the mineral and mining sector?” he queried, stressing that deliberate national action is essential for sustainable growth.
Recalling the Federal Government’s 2001 marginal fields initiative, Olatunji highlighted how it transformed Nigeria’s oil industry by empowering local companies. Firms such as Seplat, Aradel, NDWestern, and First Petroleum once small startups have now grown into formidable national oil companies, with some acquiring assets from international operators.
“What changed,” he emphasized, “was intentional government policy that nurtured competence, ensured capable firms survived, and promoted national ownership.”
He and other stakeholders concluded that adopting similar strategies anchored on transparency, empowerment, and accountability could reposition Nigeria’s solid minerals sector to rival oil and gas, driving economic diversification and sustainable development.
