Nigeria and the United States have established a working group to formulate the modalities of their partnership to boost mining sector in the country.
This came on the premise of the meeting last week in Abuja between the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, and the United States Deputy Chief of Mission David Greene.
On the sidelines of the investing in Africa Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa, Alake led a Nigerian government delegation in talks with a delegation from the United States, headed by Senior Advisor to the U.S. President on Energy and Infrastructure, Amos Hochstein.
Hochstein emphasized the long-standing relationship between the U.S. and Nigeria and expressed the U.S. government’s interest in collaborating with Nigeria on mining development, according to the Independent.
In a statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja by his Special Assistant on Media , Segun Tomori, the US presidential aide said, “We will 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 Minister commended the U.S. interest in the mining sector, highlighting the potential for mutual benefits through collaboration. He proposed the formation of a joint working group to expedite information flow and collaboration modalities.
Both countries nominated members to the working group, which will commence deliberations promptly.
The Nigerian delegation included officials from the Mining Cadastral Office, Nigeria Geological Survey Agency, and the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.
The establishment of this working group signifies a step forward in fostering collaboration between Nigeria and the United States in the mining sector, with a focus on infrastructural development, technical assistance, and attracting investments.
Regarding financing, the Executive Secretary of the Solid Minerals Development Fund, Fatima Shinkafi, noted that Nigeria, through the SMDF, has resources to co-invest, emphasizing that it is not a situation of seeking support without contributing.
