Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, yesterday, charged South African investors and global mining giants to seize the opportunities presented by ongoing reforms and improved business climate in Nigeria’s mining sector.

Speaking at the inaugural International Investment Forum and Roadshow in South Africa, Alake emphasised the openness of Nigeria’s market, driven by President Bola Tinubu’s renewed focus on solid minerals development.

According to a statement by Alake’s Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, aggressive sector promotion is key to the minister’s Seven-Point Agenda, which has successfully drawn global attention, increasing both investments and revenue in Nigeria’s mining industry.

He said: “Our vision is to establish a sector, where global mining giants, such as Glencore, Rio Tinto, Intro-Africa Mining and Exploration, and Rainbow Mines recognise Nigeria’s vast mineral resources and collaborate with us to maximise the benefits of these resources for our citizens and economic development of the nation.”

Highlighting the positive impact of recent reforms, the minister, represented by the Permanent Secretary Dr Mary Ogbe, pointed out that the introduction of the Electronic Mining Cadastral System (EMC+) had streamlined the licensing process, enabling a fully digitised application system for mining licences.

According to the host of the investment forum, acting Nigeria High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador Tope Ajayi, the conference aims to showcase the vast solid minerals potentials of Nigeria to South-African investors, secure valuable collaborations with the ministry and get the needed capital investment that will spur rapid development of the mining sector.