Nigeria’s foremost think tank, the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), and Bruit Costaud, an indigenous advisory and strategic communication organization led by former Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, have joined forces to organize a high-level summit aimed at addressing the challenges hindering the optimal development of Nigeria’s mining sector.
Scheduled for April 29 and 30, 2024, at the Abuja Continental Hotel (formerly Sheraton), the two-day summit will convene stakeholders from across the spectrum, including industry practitioners, government regulators, academia, investors, and other players involved in the mineral resources and mining value chain.
During a press briefing led by NIPSS Director General, Professor Ayo Omotayo, and Bruit Costaud Managing Partner, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, ahead of the roundtable summit on Sustainable Development of the Mining Industry in Nigeria, they expressed their commitment to supporting President Bola Tinubu’s vision of propelling Nigeria into a $1 trillion economy, up from its current $427 billion status.
Highlighting the administration’s determination to explore all avenues to revitalize the nation’s economy, they identified the mining sector as a pivotal area for increased revenue generation, given Nigeria’s abundant mineral resources. However, they lamented that Nigeria has yet to fully harness the sector’s potential, with foreigners often exploiting it to the nation’s detriment.
They stated, “As part of efforts to reposition Nigeria economically, the current administration is focused on harnessing all available resources for societal good, including the restructuring of administrative frameworks. Mining has been a low-hanging fruit for some time. Our inability to take decisive action has led to outsiders exploiting our resources, while illegal elements milk the nation dry.”
The primary objective of the conference is to provide a platform for stakeholders to deliberate and reflect on strategies for achieving sustainable development in the mining sector. They emphasized the need for actionable recommendations and implementation strategies to unlock the sector’s potential and improve the lives of Nigerian citizens.
Responding to journalists’ inquiries, the NIPSS DG assured that the conference would not be merely academic but would result in concrete recommendations. He underscored NIPSS’s direct access to the Presidency, ensuring that recommendations would be taken seriously and translated into policy actions. He also indicated that NIPSS’s interventions would extend beyond the mining industry to other sectors vital for Nigeria’s economic progress.
