By Ken Afor
In a bid to harness Nigeria’s mineral resources, which is one of the main focus of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr. Dele Alake, has assured potential investors in Qatar of the country’s support in the exploration of lithium in Nigeria.
Mr. Alake made this known on Saturday at a meeting with Qatari business men and potential investors on the sidelines of President Tinubu’s visit to the Arab country.
In a statement released by Kehinde Bamigbetan, Special Adviser to the Minister, the Nigerian government has identified areas where lithium is available both in commercial quantities and in high grades.
Mr. Alake supported this statement by recounting his visit to Australia, during which he was shown rock samples from Nigeria containing high-grade lithium, as confirmed by laboratory analysis. This, he noted, signifies the global recognition of the quality of Nigerian lithium within the mining sector.
While urging Qatari investors to visit the country, Alake emphasized that the administration of President Tinubu has implemented investor-friendly policies to support business growth.
On her part, Mrs. Fatimah Shinkafi, the Executive Secretary of Solid Minerals Development Fund, encouraged investors to consider investing in mining infrastructure opportunities.
Mrs. Shinkafi cited Vale, a Brazilian mining company, which invested in trains to streamline mineral transportation from mines to processing towns. She emphasized that while the government will still provide transportation support to mines, mining companies aware of transportation’s impact on cost control should invest wisely by supplementing government efforts.
Furthermore, Mr. Muhammed Santuraki, Vice-chairman of the Qatari-Nigerian Chamber of Business, informed the Minister about the chamber’s activities in the mining sector, highlighting its formation in 2017 to foster business relations between Qatar and Nigeria. He also mentioned a recent visit to a gold mine in Nasarawa State, where he noted the presence of well-built roads for transporting minerals to the ports.
Other businessmen at the top- level meeting were Sheikh El Jouneid, Chief Executive Officer, ETCC Qatar and Aminu Dahiru, chairman, Asdub Oil & Gas.
