By Palma Ileye
Minerals and Miners Centre, MMC, have advanced negotiations with Mineral processing experts and Machinery Manufacturers in London to boost Nigeria’s economy and develop sector to enviable heights.
This was contained in a MMC’s statement of its Minerals and Miners Conference that took place along side the Mines and Money Event.
In a recent interview with the Director, MMC, Dr Comfort Asokoro-Ogaji in London, she emphasized that the concept of the MMC was to contribute to the ongoing efforts by other stakeholders to ensure home based junior mining companies and artisanal miners get involved directly in mineral processing operations and get trained in the process through the mentorship and internship program ongoing for the year.
Ogaji stated that the MMC models were private sector driven and embraces a sustainable approach to the sector activities through skills transfer from partners and sector experts.
She said: “By the grace of God, MMC will be in China in few months time to execute agreements with machinery manufacturers. The terms are pro-Africa based on our models at MMC.”
She noted that the mentorship and internship program of MMC was intended to bridge the skills gap in the solid minerals sector, adding that industrialization was the fastest way to wealth and global relevance.
She said that Mineral beneficiation in-country was a winning approach as against importation of Human Resources or exportation of Natural Resources saying that no country develops by exporting its raw commodities.
“That’s the gateway to poverty and mediocrity. Export of value added products is a highway to wealth creation and we must continuously look inwards and build capacities in this direction both at leadership level, managerial and operational levels.
“The private sector remains the engine of economic growth as captured in the developmental policies and plans of Nigeria. We are driving the process riding on the enabling environment provided by the Federal Government, Ministries, Agencies and the State Governments.
“The MMC approach is sensitive to social and environmental factors while ensuring economic goals are met for the companies and State Governments we are working with.
“The concept of sustainability is a must for all stakeholders working with us because it is not just the right thing to do but it is a responsible way to do things. Standard environmental and social procedural templates are already introduced accross the value addition processes and supply chain programs while ensuring positive economic impact.
“The companies we are working with are African owned and run by Africans with the support of experts from the United Kingdom and China in the area of machinery expertise, technical expertise, Environmental Social and corporate Governance! (ESG) standards and general peer review and advisory services culminating in commercial scale mineral processing operations,” she explained.
The MMC boss further stated that the overall goal was to see more Nigerian involvement via employment generation, improved indigenous expertise for mineral processing and understanding global mineral trade dynamics.
Furthermore, she said, in view of the crucial importance of State Governments in the development of the Solid Minerals resources in respective States across the country, MMC was working with few committed State Governments towards value addition that will improve the sector.
