NGSA, NMCO, AG Vision others top The Truth’s most impactful mining sector entities of 2022

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By Palma Ileye

Nigerian Geological Survey Agency, NGSA, the Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office, NMCO, AG Vision and seven others have emerged as Truth-Afrique 2022 impactful companies contributing to the growth of Nigeria mining sector.

The list of 10 entities also had the KAM Industries Limited, Thor Explorations Limited, company to which Segilola Gold Project belongs to, Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative, PAGMI, Women In Mining Nigeria, WIMIN, Dangote Group and two joint individuals – Geologist Saidu Uba Malami, Chairman of the Board of the Solid Minerals Development Fund, SMDF, and Dr. Sanusi Mohammed, Executive Secretary-General of the African Iron and Steel Association, AISA as well as EMOTAN Global/Piramel Ventures- for developing a standard lapidary laboratory in Nigeria aimed at polishing precious stones before they are exported.

The organisation however said that no state government met the criteria for inclusion in the list.

Chairman, Truth Afrique Communications, publishers of THE TRUTH Online, Mr. Francis Kadiri, while speaking on the sidelines of the event in Abuja, hinted that the Special Projects Committee of THE TRUTH headed by Engr. Ben Nwude, a former President of the Nigerian Society of Mining Engineers reviewed efforts made by the governments of 36 States of the federation and resolved that none was satisfactory.

Kadiri said state governments were not doing enough in the quest to jointly pursue the realisation of the Roadmap for Growth and Development of the Nigerian mining sector.

According to him, “None of the 36 State governments satisfied the criteria for organisation ten most impactful mining sector entities of 2022. The absence of states in the list is a sad commentary that undermines the realisation of set goals for the sector, especially the economic diversification agenda.”

The Chairman expressed concern that although the economic diversification agenda was repeatedly adopted by successive federal administrations in the country, “there is little to show for it as over 80 per cent of Nigerians were still poor despite the abounding multiplicity of solid mineral resources in the thirty-six of the federation.

He called on states to collaborate with the federal government to realise set goals, and quoted a World Bank poverty assessment report titled, “A Better Future for All Nigerians: 2022 Nigeria Poverty Assessment,” as saying that the number of poor Nigerians is increasing, and it is projected to hit 95.1milloin in 2022.

“There are so many policies and campaign promises to develop the solid minerals sector but there is hardly equipment or financial support from state governments to indigenous mining operators, and there are too few state government-owned mineral development companies.”

Kadiri added that state governments must make commitment to the development of the sector as some of them have accorded the agriculture sector.

He disclosed that the 10 entities earned the recognition for commitment to global best practices and for working against all odds to put the Nigerian mining sector on the world map and by providing information needed by prospective investors, and needed to support critical projects of government that are designed to facilitate economic diversification.

He therefore congratulated the entities that made the list and urged them to continue to contribute to the growth and development of the Mining and Mineral sector of Nigeria.