The Federal Government has enlisted the help of foreign firms in boosting the mining industry in the country, News About Nigeria reports.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, Segun Tomori.
The Minister affirmed Nigeria’s readiness to welcome international big players into the mining sector, stating that reforms and efforts to sanitize the sector are currently ongoing.
While speaking with the Group CEO of Swiss-based Glencore, one of the world’s largest natural resource companies, Mr. Gary Nagle, Alake disclosed that the country boasts of critical minerals that are commercially viable, stressing that the priority of the Tinubu-led administration remains to provide efficient governance structure and sanitise the operating environment of the mining sector.
“We want you to come here and invest because we have a preponderance of critical minerals like Lithium, gold, zinc, and nickel amongst others that are in high demand globally. We are securing the mining environment through a new security outfit, mining marshals, and providing wide-ranging incentives for investments as well as establishing an efficient governance structure for the mining sector.
“We are offering tax waivers on imported equipment; policy of full repatriation of profits to home countries; removing bottlenecks to ease of doing business. The ministry is also ready to address any concerns that Glencore might have to facilitate smooth operations in Nigeria,” he stated.
He further noted that the federal government remains committed to attracting international big players, that will fast-track the development of the mining sector, like the oil industry.
