Tag: Dr. Dele Alake

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has called for increased investment stakes in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector.

He said there have been positive reforms that promise higher returns on investments in the sector.

Alake spoke at this year’s China Mining Conference with the theme: Connect and Collaborate, Co-Build and Co-Share, in Tianjin.

The minister assured his host that the security situation in Nigeria has improved tremendously.

He said the sector has witnessed security reforms, including the establishment of Mining Marshals and the satellite mines monitoring project.

He said these were introduced to protect licensed miners and curtail illegal mining.

Alake cited the upgrades in technology to ease doing business and processing applications, such as the Electronic Mining Cadastre (EMC+), the Nigerian Mineral Resources Decision System (NMRDS), the Centre of Excellence, and the websites of the ministry and agencies, as unique utilities to improve remote transactions globally in Nigeria’s mining sector.

Reviewing the Chinese mining business, he minister acknowledged that investments in lithium processing alone grossed $1.3 billion since September 2023.

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He added that Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the state visit in September 2024 have led to substantial investment commitments.

He said: “Since September 2023, when this administration assumed office, Chinese companies, such as Canmax Technology, Jiuling Lithium, Avatar New Energy Nigeria Company, and Asba, have invested over $1.3 billion in lithium processing. The investments have boosted Nigeria’s economic diversification efforts, reduced its dependency on oil and attracted infrastructure, technology transfer, and expertise.

“Joint ventures between Chinese and Nigerian companies in the mining sector often enhance local capabilities and skills among Nigerian workers and engineers.”

Alake, who is currently the Chairman of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening continental cooperation in mineral exploration and reporting Standards.

The minister stressed that Africa must build shared systems of knowledge and governance if it is to benefit from its vast mineral endowments fully.

He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s plans to strengthen the regional Centres of Excellence in Geosciences and Mining Skills, and to expand the role of the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF) and the SMDF AFC Facility in supporting early stage exploration and de risking investments.

“We warmly invite investors, development partners, and technical institutions to explore Nigeria’s vast opportunities in minerals, such as lithium, gold, lead-zinc, barite, and rare earth elements. Our government offers a conducive investment climate, improved security of tenure, and incentives that guarantee mutual benefit.

“Nigeria’s vision is not only to extract minerals but to build a globally competitive value chain that supports clean energy transition, job creation, and industrial growth, all within the framework of responsible mining,” Alake said.

Representing Nigeria in the technical session on “Mining in Africa and Policy,” the Director General of the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency, Prof. Olusegun Omoniyi Ige, highlighted The National Mineral Resources Data System (NMRDSS) and Nigeria’s extensive aeromagnetic and geochemical datasets.

These, he said, provide a solid foundation for informed mineral exploration.

Ige noted that while these datasets have greatly improved the country’s geological understanding, greater investment is still required to expand exploration coverage and convert data into proven mineral resources.

Other speakers included Mr. Xu Xueyi (Deputy Director General of the China Geological Survey), H.E. Mohamed Ahmed Taha (Minister of Minerals of Sudan), Ms. Phumzile Mgcina (Deputy Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources of South Africa), and Mr. Joseph Lebbie (Director General of Geological Exploration, Sierra Leone).

• Ministers adopt continental code

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has called for a harmonized and transparent mineral resources reporting framework across Africa.

The minister was upbeat about the continent’s mining sector entering a new era in the nearest future.

He premised his optimism on the continent’s preparedness for a transparency and global competitiveness operational code.

Alake spoke yesterday in Abuja as ministers under the auspices of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) unanimously adopted the Pan-African Resources Reporting Code (PARC).

Rising from their sixth inter-ministerial meeting, held virtually, the ministers hailed Alake for his visionary leadership in steering the over one-year-old AMSG to international relevance and recognition.

In a statement in Abuja by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, the minister said: “A critical challenge facing Africa’s mineral development agenda is the absence of a harmonised and transparent mineral resource reporting framework across the continent. This inconsistency undermines investor confidence, hinders comparative valuation of assets, and limits access to development financing.”

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Alake, who is the Chairman of the continental body, urged member-states to immediately adopt the new AMREC-PARC code for all government-funded or private-sector exploration projects.

The minister noted that this common reporting standard would build investor trust, strengthen the valuation of Africa’s mineral wealth, and align the continent’s mining industry with global best practices.

Liberian Minister of Mines and Energy, Wilmot Paye, and South Sudan’s representative, Eruaga Jackson, praised their Nigerian counterpart for deploying his expertise in communication and diplomacy to project the AMSG’s work globally.

“Dr. Alake’s leadership has drawn critical international attention to Africa’s drive for value addition and strategic resource management,” Paye said.

Alake attributed the group’s success so far to teamwork.

He announced that Nigeria had completed all formalities for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to fully ratify the AMSG Charter, urging other African mining countries to do the same.

Commenting on the code, the Gambian Minister of Petroleum, Energy and Mines, Nani Juwara, and Somalia’s Deputy Minister of Petroleum & Mineral Resources, Abdiwahab Abdi Omar, applauded the African Union (AU) for supporting the framework’s development through the African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC).

The ministers resolved to facilitate the reporting code’s implementation in their respective countries.

Also, AMSG’s General Secretary, Moses Engadu, presented the annual budget and outlined plans to host strategic sideline sessions at this year’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the African Minerals Summit in Kenya, as well as the African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit in Abuja.

The meeting agreed that with the adoption of the AMREC-PARC reporting code, African countries would be able to unlock greater investment, improve resource governance, and position the continent as a credible global mining destination.

Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has said that the war against illegal mining in the last one year has led to the arrest of 327 offenders and recovery of 98 illegal mining sites.

He attributed this achievement to the patriotic and determined efforts of the Mining Marshals, a special enforcement unit established exactly a year ago.

Alake who spoke at a press conference to mark the first anniversary of the Mining Marshal yesterday in Abuja, said that the special unit has succeeded in restoring access to legally licensed operators to their mining sites.

Commending the Marshals, the minister noted that the initiative has significantly deterred illegal mining activities, which had previously crippled legitimate businesses and posed security threats.

“The activation of the Mining Marshals sent shivers down the spine of illegal miners. It is no longer business as usual,” he declared.

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Alake recalled that but for the Mining Marshals’ intervention, several licensed mining companies had lost access to their sites due to encroachment by illegal miners, some of whom had occupied these locations for over a decade.

He cited a landmark operation by the Mining Marshal at North South Extractive Industries Limited in Kogi State, where over 3,000 illegal miners were flushed out.

Other sites recovered include: Ganan Mining Limited (Kuje, FCT); Jinloys Nigeria Limited (Abia State); Orbit Exploration and Natural Products Limited (Kogi State).

To strengthen enforcement, the Mining Marshals have identified 457 suspected illegal mining sites and improved intelligence gathering.

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has cautioned against arbitrary closure of mining operations by state governments, warning that such act could abort efforts by Federal Government to attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) and provoke divestment.

 He handed down the warning while announcing a fact-finding committee to look into the face-off between Osun State government and Thor Explorations Limited, owners of the Segilola Resources Operating Limited over taxation and operational matters.

The minister in a statement by the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister, Segun Tomori in Abuja yesterday, warned that mining operations and regulations are the exclusive rights of the federal government and not the sub-nationals.

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He directed the committee headed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Mary Ogbe to probe the claims and counter claims by the Osun State government and the private firm by engaging both parties towards resolving the dispute and restoring industrial harmony.

He observed that the Federal Government has been marketing opportunities for investments in the solid minerals sector across the world and cautioned that closure of mining operations by sub-nationals could abort efforts to attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) and provoke divestment.

 “Indiscriminate closures of mining operations by sub-nationals raise the risk of discouraging foreign direct investments and even worse, possible divestment by existing companies.  Mining is on the exclusive legislative list. The Ministry of Solid Minerals should be consulted before such disruptive actions are taken.” Dr. Alake asserted.

The Minister reiterated the Federal Government’s interest in raising the tempo of productive activities nationwide to boost economic growth, increase employment and community development.

 Alake stressed that any cessation of industrial production will undermine the goals of economic prosperity, deny workers the opportunity to earn income, and further contribute to adversity.

 The Minister then called on both parties to co-operate with the fact-finding team and allow production to continue while the issues are resolved.

 “I hereby call on His Excellency, the Governor of Osun State, Sen. Ademola Adeleke and the management of Thor Exploration Limited to sue for peace and industrial harmony in the interest of the workers and their dependents who may be adversely affected by closure of operations at the factory,” he added.

 Members of the fact-finding committee include representatives of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Ministry of Labour and Employment and the National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA).