Promote Large-scale Mining, Engineers Urge FG

• Promote Large-scale Mining, Engineers Urge FG

The Nigerian Society of Engineers has called on the Federal Government to work towards diversifying the country’s economy by engaging and encouraging private investors to embark on large-scale mining activities.

According to the NSE, Nigeria is endowed with solid minerals, which can be found in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Speaking with journalists during the just-concluded National Engineering Conference and Annual General Meeting of the society in Abuja, the President, NSE, Otis Anyaeji, stated that reserves of about 40 types of solid minerals were reported to exist across the country.

He stated that the solid minerals reserves had the potential to support large-scale production in midstream and downstream industrial activities in Nigeria and stressed that mining was a key area of diversifying the economy.

Anyaeji said, “Large-scale mining is lacking in Nigeria. Investment in large-scale mining and minerals processing should bring impetus to the sector and ensure proper economic growth and industrialisation. This will boost the nation’s GDP and diversify the foreign revenue sources for a more stable and robust economy that creates significant wealth and jobs for our teeming unemployed Nigerians.

“There is a need to provide financial support for entrepreneurs in the mining sector to bridge the funding gap. The renewed effort of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development to revitalise steel manufacturing should be aligned with the delivery of key infrastructure projects like rail and dams so that the huge steel and cement requirements of these projects are fully met through local production.”