Minister of State, Mines and Steel Development, Honourable Abubabakar Bawa Bwari has disclosed that the essence of the Meeting on Mineral Exploration Project is to rapidly generate integrated geosciences information that will make the country’s resources more attractive and facilitate the sector’s contribution to the GDP, generate employment to the teeming masses of our youth, and create wealth along the mineral valued chain.
This was contained in his Keynote address at the one-day Inception Meeting and Presentation of Project Activities of the National Integrated Mineral Exploration Project, held at Barcelona Hotel in Abuja. He described the project embarked by the Ministry as apt, since it is initiated at a time the world is becoming interested in Nigeria’s mining endowment, adding that it is a typical exploration design with time-bind deliverables to generate information that can spur investments into the country.
According to him, the inception meeting was meant to present the outcome of the best strategic works done by the contractors before they resume team work. He used the forum to assure investors of government’s readiness to collaborate with interested investors to generate enriched data that will transform the mineral deposit and also solicited for the technical experts’ kind cooperation to make the exploration project a success.
The Permanent Secretary, Barrister Georgina Ekeoma Ehuriah, MON, in the same vein, said it is a laudable project aimed at addressing one of the key factors militating against the development of mines and mineral sector in Nigeria and hindering key investors from investing in the mineral sector. She noted that questions about the availability of veritable geosciences information has always taken the front burner at every investment drive that the Ministry has embarked on in recent times.
She opined that the success of this project will be the attraction of foreign investors to put their resources and expertise into the Nigerian mining sector and increase the depth of economic development in the nation. The project, which is designed to be executed and funded in phases, reportedly, requires exploration companies and consultants to provide reports and produce a reliable and comprehensive geo-data that will draw relevant investors in the country.
Barrister Ehuriah reminded the stakeholders that their utmost technical evaluation is required in the forum as they discuss and analyze various ways and methods of explorations being deployed in executing mineral projects that has been awarded, adding that they should feel very free to provide best solutions. She assured them of the Ministry’s cooperation to ensure the success of the project.
In his goodwill message at the occasion, the President of Miners Association, Alhaji Shehu Sani on behalf of Miners Association appreciated government’s effort to generate proper geological data and also expressed readiness of the group to cooperate with government for the success of the project. He pointed out that other mining destinations are striving to woo investors through data generation and other incentives. The event, he said, is a step in the right direction, since it is aimed at giving feedbacks on the projects so far sited on data reservation; help miners to accurately mine, and also attract foreign exchange.
Mr. Akin George on behalf of the Consultants assured of their absolute commitment to the success of the project, which is the first of its kind in the history of Nigeria in order to attract investors into the sector in line with the diversification agenda of the government.
