Nigeria, UK to form technical committee on mining development

The Federal Government and the United Kingdom have resolved to form a joint technical working group to harmonise partnerships for the development of critical mineral deposits in the country.

It will be recalled that UK Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden had met Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake on the sidelines of the Mines and Money Conference, in London, late last year and expressed his country’s interest in Nigeria’s Lithium.

As a follow-up to that parley, a delegation of the British High Commission led by Deputy High Commissioner, Johnny Baxter on Tuesday paid a courtesy visit to the Minister in his office, reiterating his home country’s readiness to fine-tune details of collaboration that will culminate in investments in the mining sector value chain.

The Minister whilst welcoming the British delegation stressed that the Tinubu administration is improving ease of doing business in the mining sector through a new security architecture for natural resources, installing an efficient governance structure through the establishment of a private-sector led Nigerian Mining Corporation amongst others.

Baxter lauded Nigeria’s efforts to diversify its economy, asserting that efforts of the Minister to give visibility to the mining sector have attracted the attention of the international community.

Both countries thereafter agreed to follow through with a joint technical working group that will herald the partnership and foster investment in the mining sector.

On the delegation of the British Deputy High Commissioner were political counsellor Tom Burge; Senior Political Adviser, Wale Adebajo and Trade Market Access Lead, UK Department for Business and Trade, Simeon Umukoro.