Federal Government has disclosed the plans to establish solid mineral processing hubs in the six geopolitical zones across the country.
Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, said made this known while speaking at the 2020 Nigeria Mining Week, adding that the hubs would be cited close to the locations of artisanal miners.
According to him, the ministry will consult with artisanal miner groups to understand their needs and reach a consensus on the type of processing hub they require.
“We have some interventions around mining on a regional basis. We are looking at bringing a processing centre for the artisanal miners in a particular region.
“There will be hubs in the six geopolitical zones across the country. We will consult with them before deciding on the kind of processing centre they will need,” Adegbite said.
While he noted that small scale mining in Nigeria constituted between 85 per cent and 90 per cent of the mining activities in the country, he also stated that artisanal miners needed to be encouraged to create employment and wealth for the country.
Rather than classifying them as illegal, the minister said it would be better to bring them together and provide incentives for them to thrive.
He said, ”At the ministry, we have established a remote sensing station and we are working with the satellite companies to identify areas where artisanal mining is going on.
Adegbite said the government had been able to create 400 groups of artisanal miners and was making funding opportunities available to them.
“A lot of artisanal miners can’t access these funds because of the conditions. What they need now is just a guarantor to access the money and pay within a period of six months,” he said.
Speaking further, Executive Secretary, Solid Minerals Development Fund, Hajia Fatima Shinkafi, stated that most artisanal miners were farmers who look for extra income in the off-farming season from mining activities in order to earn a living.
She said, “Formalisation is not an easy task. It is not profitable and not what a private sector investor will find appealing. It needs a multiple pronged approach and there should be a collaborative effort and huge politically will from all stakeholders involved.”
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