RENEWED HOPE IN OUR SOLID MINERALS DEVELOPMENT
9/20/20261 min read
This is Dele Alake
Minister of Solid Minerals Development
His Major Milestones & Achievements
1 - Sector Revenue Growth: Increased total sector revenue from N6 billion in 2023 to N68 billion in 2025.
2 - Mining Licence Revenue: Increased mining licence revenue from ₦6 billion in 2023 to ₦12.58 billion in 2024.
3 - Royalty Growth: Achieved a 110% increase in mining royalties to approximately ₦36.8 billion.
4 - Foreign Direct Investment (FDI): Attracted over $1 billion in investments within two years through policy reforms, incentives, and value-addition mandates.
5 - Mining Marshals: Trained and deployed 2,570 Mining Marshals to combat illegal mining and protect mining communities. They have arrested over 300 illegal miners, leading to numerous prosecutions and convictions, including those of foreign nationals.
6 - Licence Revocations: Revoked over 3,794 mineral titles and licences, comprising:
•584 Exploration Licences
•65 Mining Leases
•144 Quarry Licences
•470 Small-Scale Mining Leases
In total, over 4,000 licences have been revoked to improve compliance and sanitise the sector.
7 - Artisanal Mining Formalisation: Created and formalised over 300 artisanal mining cooperatives nationwide, integrating informal miners into the formal economy and reducing illegal mining through empowerment and enforcement.
8 - Nigerian Solid Minerals Company (NSMC): Facilitated the establishment of the NSMC, modelled after NLNG, to drive joint ventures, attract investment, and promote structured commercialisation.
9 - Digitisation and Geological Data: Directed full ministry digitisation, advanced the Nigerian Mineral Resources Decision Support System and geological mapping, and secured a historic ₦1 trillion allocation for mineral exploration to generate internationally certified geological data.
10 - African Leadership: Elected the Pioneer Chairman of the African Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) by African Mining Ministers in January 2024, positioning Nigeria as a leader in sustainable mining, beneficiation, and resource management.
If you did not know, now you know.