Nigeria and US Establish Committee for Advancing Mining Development
Nigeria and the United States have taken steps to deepen their partnership in the mining sector, establishing a working group to identify areas of collaboration. This initiative follows a meeting between United States Deputy Chief of Mission David Greene and Nigerian Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, during the Investing in Africa Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa.
Dr. Alake led the Nigerian delegation, while the US side was represented by Amos Hochstein, senior advisor to the US president on energy and infrastructure. Hochstein emphasized the longstanding relationship between the US and Nigeria across various sectors and expressed the US government’s interest in collaborating with Nigeria to attract investments in mining.
Areas of potential collaboration include infrastructural development, technical assistance to enhance mining operations, and investment in the mining industry. This partnership aims to unlock the potential of Nigeria’s mining sector and promote its growth and sustainability.
“Let’s figure out a way between us where we can share whatever you have with our team; then we can work with companies to see what makes sense for the United States to do. We will then look at what the infrastructural needs are to unlock and make those investments more attractive. If you want to build a clean mining sector, you can’t do that without electricity.
We are already working with your government on clean energy options for us to finance,” the US presidential aide added.
Minister Alake welcomed the United States’ keen interest in Nigeria’s mining sector, highlighting the significance of collaboration between the two countries.
He emphasized that leveraging this partnership would not only strengthen bilateral relations but also lead to mutual benefits for both nations. By exploring new avenues for cooperation in mining development, Nigeria and the United States aim to foster sustainable growth and prosperity in the sector while deepening their longstanding alliance.
“We are putting in place reforms to ensure that we have an enabling environment in the sector, different from the experiences we had in the past. I suggest that we form a small joint working group that will fashion out modalities for collaboration and fast-track the flow of information on both sides,” Alake noted.
“Nigeria through the SMDF has resources to co-invest, so it’s not a situation of coming cap in hand without any commensurate contribution,” he said.
Following the establishment of the working group, both countries have nominated members to commence deliberations promptly.
Related Posts
Representing the United States are Helaina Matza, Acting Special Coordinator for Partnership for Global Infrastructure Investments; Ribhuti Jain, Regional Managing Director of the Development Finance Corporation (DFC); Nisha Biswal, Deputy CEO of the DFC; Lyndsey Mewill, Chief of Staff to Amos Hochstein, and other distinguished members.
On the Nigerian delegation, notable members include Engr. Obadiah Nkom, Director-General of the Mining Cadastral Office (MCO); Fatima Shinkafi, Executive Secretary of the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF); Dr. Abdulrasak Garba, Director-General of the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency (NGSA); Ime Ekrikpo, Director of Investments Promotion and Mineral Trade (IPMT), alongside other senior officials from the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development (MSMD).
