The Federal Government has moved to transform Nigeria's North Central region into a formalized mining hub, announcing a strategic partnership between the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and the North Central Development Commission. The collaboration aims to unlock the region's untapped mineral potential while integrating informal and artisanal miners into the formal economic framework.
The announcement came during a courtesy visit by the NCDC management to the Ministry in Abuja, where Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake emphasized the alignment between this initiative and President Bola Tinubu's broader economic diversification agenda.
Formalizing the Informal Sector
A cornerstone of the partnership involves organizing more than 300 artisanal and small-scale miners into structured cooperatives. This move is designed to pull miners away from illegal extraction operations and integrate them into a legitimate, productive sector where they can contribute meaningfully to national economic growth.
"We have intensified persuasive engagement across mining communities, and as a result, over 300 small-scale and artisanal miners have now been organized into cooperatives," Alake stated. "This is a deliberate effort to move them away from illegal operations and integrate them into the formal sector where they can contribute meaningfully to the economy."
The Ministry's media aide, Lara Owoeye-Wise, noted that the government has ramped up efforts to sanitize the sector, combining outreach with enforcement to bring informal mining activities under regulatory oversight.
Enforcement Crackdown on Illegal Mining
Alongside the cooperative formalization drive, the Ministry has pursued aggressive enforcement against illegal mining operators. Alake revealed that authorities have arrested over 300 illegal miners, with approximately 150 suspects—including foreign nationals—currently undergoing prosecution.
"This sends a strong signal that Nigeria is serious about sanitizing the sector and enforcing compliance," the Minister stated, underscoring the government's commitment to rooting out illicit extraction activities that drain revenue and damage environmental standards.
Value Addition Policy Drives Economic Returns
The North Central region has emerged as a key beneficiary of the Federal Government's local value addition policy. According to Alake, new mineral processing projects have taken root in the region, marking a departure from the previous model where raw minerals were exported with minimal domestic processing.
"Today, mining is contributing over $2 billion to the Nigerian economy, and this is just the beginning," Alake said. "By encouraging in-country processing and beneficiary activities, we are reducing raw material exports, boosting industrial growth, creating jobs and deepening economic diversification."
The Minister further emphasized that the Tinubu administration remains focused on building lasting institutions and sustainable economic structures. "The President is committed to building enduring legacies, and institutions like the North Central Development Commission are part of that vision to drive long-term development," he added.
Representatives from the NCDC at the meeting included Managing Director Dr. Cyril Tsenyil, Executive-Director for Commercial and Industrialisation Hajiya Ramatu Ibrahim, Executive-Director for Finance Prof. Muhammed Bashar Nuhu, and Executive-Director for Corporate Services James Abel Uloko.