Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Oladele Alake, has encouraged state governors to establish mining companies and apply for licences, aiming to enhance surveillance and operational safeguards within the sector.
Minister Alake highlighted the importance of state government cooperation in creating a conducive business environment for investors, supporting artisanal and small-scale mining cooperatives, addressing illegal mining, and reducing risks in the sector. He emphasised that recent policies and reforms by the ministry are geared towards harnessing the country’s mining potential.
This was disclosed in a communiqué issued following a meeting of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) in Abuja, the nation’s capital. The governors welcomed the reforms and called for stronger intergovernmental relations to coordinate activities in the sector, including licencing, surveillance, and operational safeguards.
Additionally, the forum received a briefing from Dr. Ahmad Abdulwahab, NGF’s Senior Health Advisor, on the progress of expanding health insurance coverage, improving nutrition, and the Primary Healthcare (PHC) Leadership Challenge. Dr. Abdulwahab also informed the forum about the rollout of Phase II of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination exercise in 21 states, commencing on May 27, 2024.