Fayemi leads Nigerian delegate to ADU

MINISTER of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, is leading the Nigerian delegation to the Africa Down Under (ADU) Conference, holding in Perth, Australia, which is billed for tomorrow, Wednesday till Friday.

Dr Fayemi is expected to deliver a paper on “Mining for Shared Prosperity: Why Nigeria, Why Now” on the opening day of the conference which is renowned as one of the leading fora for facilitating discussions on how to grow investments and participation in the African mining space.

Widely regarded as a conference that attracts significant interest from organisations prospecting for business opportunities in the mining sector in Africa, the Nigerian delegation includes critical stakeholders, notably, officials of some State Governments in charge of minerals and mining; financial experts, as well as investors and operators.

This was contained in a statement issued and signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Olayinka Oyebode, a copy of which was made available to the Nigerian Tribune in Abuja, on Monday.

According to the statement, Nigeria’s participation at this year’s conference is expected to serve the following strategic objectives: “signal to the international mining community, the country’s economic policy priorities which focus on the diversification of Nigeria’s revenue base by repositioning the mining sector for greater productivity.

“Showcase to potential investors, investment opportunities in the mining sector in Nigeria, existing incentives and ongoing reforms.

“Take advantage of the attendance of key decision makers and influencers in the industry from all over the world to engage in high-level economic diplomacy, to address the misconceptions about Nigeria’s mining industry and business environment in general, that accounts for her low ranking on the global mining policy perception and ease-of-doing-business indices.

“Network with other government delegates (especially of African countries) and representatives of multilateral organizations, to explore potential areas of cooperation and to ensure Nigeria takes a lead and visible role in advancing the objectives of the African Mining Vision (AVM).

“Ensure robust tracking of the competitive activities of other mining countries towards identifying ways through which Nigeria can improve the marketability and competitiveness of our mining industry.

“Use the opportunity to learn best industry practices around the globe as well as new and improved technology adopted for mining operations and geological data gathering in other mining jurisdictions”, the statement added.

It will be recalled that Nigeria was a major focus at the conference last year, following the discovery, by an Australian firm, of a huge deposit of Nickel in Kaduna State.

The minister is also expected to provide an update on the mineral among other issues, during the conference.