Mrs Nonye Ayeni, the Executive Director, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), said that prioritising value addition across solid minerals value chain will create more jobs for Nigerians.
Ayeni stated this at a one-day workshop organised by Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), held at Leventis Foundation/Osun State Agriculture Training School, Brewery Road, on Thursday, in Ilesa.
She said that the State and Nigeria are blessed with immense potential of solid minerals in which Ilesa is blessed with rich mineral deposits that remain largely untapped.
"The Council recognised the contribution of the solid minerals sector to non-oil exports portfolio and the tremendous opportunities in achieving greater economic potential through intervention.
"In a time when global economic trends challenge our traditional streams, there has never been a better moment to reassess and rejuvenate our approach to economic diversification through the solid minerals sector.
"Osun hosts strategic mineral concentrations vital for global supply chains, including: gold, columbine, tin and lithium, which are used for jewelry, smartphones, renewable energy and batteries respectively," the CEO stated.
She assured that they can transform challenges into catalysts for development, as it is essential to change the narrative in Ilesa by embracing strategic steps to explore and harness the mineral potential locally.
The CEO stated that despite the potential, the sector is faced with numerous challenges such as: informal activities, lack of funding, inadequate mining technology, lack of quality and standards, insufficient geological data and capacity building.
The Executive Director called for formalised mining cooperatives, strengthening export capacity building, mineral processing centres, skills revolution, enhancing market access and leveraging technology and innovation.
According to her, the Council is committed to enhancing the value chain of solid minerals sectors for global markets, establishment of solid minerals clusters, aggregation centres and hubs.
Mrs Oyinkan Duke, the Chief Trade Promotion Officer, Solid Minerals Directorate (NEPC), Abuja, presented on the topic "Formalising ASM Activities for Export Competitiveness".
Duke said that the sector had been neglected for some time, but the workshop would reawaken the capacity of miners, artisanal miners, small scale miners and operators in the sector to go into formal export.
She added that they have noticed that several illegalities have taken over the sector which was highly discouraged, therefore miners, operators, and other people within the sector need to go formal.
According to her, they need to register their documents with due process, so that they will be recognised and the issue of rejection of the raw product, given in agricultural sector and mining sector will be averted.
The Promotion Officer therefore called for value addition through formal and legal activities within the sector for economic and revenue boost, high level of growth, more recognition and respect of raw products and high patronage in the global market.
Also, Mrs Madhurii Sarkar-Amoda, Community Development Stakeholder Manager, for Segilola Resources Operating Limited, in her presentation titled: "Key Opportunities and Mobilisation of Artisanal Operators into Mainstream".
Sarkar-Amoda explained that all hands must be on deck to ensure that Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) are actually regulated and monitored and scaled up the way Large Scale Mining (LSM) has regulatory and monitoring body at the moment.
She expressed that it would be good if all stakeholders involved in ASM, for the entire value chain from land owner to the asset owner to the communities, Local Government, State Government and Federal Government are involved the way LSM are involved.
She charged all stakeholders to be involved in ASM license as they are involved in LSM, and stressed that ASM should be formalised the same way LSM is formalised.
"ASM might seem it's cumbersome, but it covers entire value chain which everybody benefits from, adding that it covers the social aspect, environmental aspect, political aspect and economic aspect also.
"If they can get ASM formalised like LSM, we will have a lot to offer," she ascertained.
Sarkar-Amoda lamented the present mining aspect across the country at ASM level, and admonished that if they can formalise it to a larger level the way LSM is formalised, it will be an advantage to the entire country at large.
"It will add to the GDP. They said Nigeria is a third world country and that Nigeria is poor. Nigeria is not poor; it is because of unmonitored policies and systems that are not working effectively.
"Nigeria is self-rich, only the majority are not rich. We have a lot of resources in Nigeria, only to formalise them. Once westart formalising, things will change.
"All the royalties, levies, taxes that have been going to nobody, but to just one pocket, the community and social benefits that are going to nobody, once there is formalisation, would be directed to the right channels," she assured.
Mr Benson Oseni, the State Coordinator, NEPC, Osun State Coordinating Office, operators, miners, students, and dignitaries attended the programme.
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