NEPC, Stakeholders Seek Stronger Collaboration, Value Addition to Unlock Kano’s Solid Minerals Potential
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector have called for stronger collaboration among governments, private investors, regulatory agencies, mining cooperatives and host communities to harness Kano State’s mineral resources for economic growth and export development.
The stakeholders made the call on Wednesday in Kano at a Stakeholders Engagement Workshop on Solid Minerals Development for Export, organised by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), with emphasis on value addition, sustainable mining and access to international markets.
The Regional Coordinator of NEPC’s North-West Regional Office in Kano, Hajia Amina Abdulmalik, said the initiative was designed to move the state’s solid minerals industry beyond largely informal extraction and trading towards structured production, processing and export.
Representing the NEPC Executive Director/CEO, Mrs Nonye Ayeni, Abdulmalik said Kano’s mineral deposits, established commercial networks and strategic location offered opportunities for the state to emerge as an important hub for solid minerals exports.
She identified gold, tin, columbite, kaolin, gypsum and granite among resources found in the state, stressing that their economic potential could be better harnessed through collaboration between government institutions and private-sector operators.
Abdulmalik said the NEPC would support operators through capacity building, value addition, compliance with international standards and access to export markets.
She urged miners and cooperatives to formalise their operations to improve their prospects of obtaining licences, financing and export opportunities.
The NEPC official also emphasised traceability, certification and environmentally responsible mining, noting that international buyers increasingly require credible information about the quality and origin of mineral products.
According to her, the council’s overseas trade offices could facilitate linkages between Nigerian exporters and international buyers, while governments should provide enabling infrastructure and encourage the establishment of mining clusters and mineral-processing ventures.
Speaking at the workshop, the Kano State Coordinator of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Engr. Almustapha Kamil, called for sustained cooperation between public institutions and the private sector in developing the country’s mineral resources.
Kamil stressed the importance of processing, purification and upgrading minerals locally before export, saying value addition would enhance their quality, competitiveness and market value while increasing the economic benefits retained within Nigeria.
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Presenting a paper titled, “Unlocking the Export Potential of Solid Minerals in Kano State: Value Addition, Sustainable Development and Access to International Markets,” Abdullahi Madugu of the RMRDC identified gold, tin, copper, tantalite and granite among commercially valuable mineral resources in Kano.
Madugu said Nigeria was endowed with substantial mineral resources, but much of the potential remained underdeveloped because of inadequate exploration, limited processing capacity and insufficient investment across the value chain.
He said the solid minerals sector currently contributes less than one per cent to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product despite its potential to support economic diversification, employment and foreign exchange earnings.
Madugu therefore advocated sustained government intervention alongside increased private-sector investment in exploration, processing and marketing to improve the sector’s contribution to the economy.
Also speaking, the Chief Technical Officer of the Federal Mines Office in Kano State, Engr. Suleiman Danjuma, said effective development of the sector required closer coordination among federal, state and local governments.
Danjuma also urged mining authorities and operators to build stronger relationships with host communities, arguing that their participation was critical to sustainable mining because they directly experience the social and environmental effects of mining operations.
He identified refining, purification and other forms of value addition as essential to a viable mining industry, noting that exporting minerals in raw form reduces the economic benefits Nigeria could derive from its natural resources.
Environmental and public health concerns also featured prominently at the engagement.
The Director of Environmental Safety at the Kano State Ministry of Mineral Resources, Shaaya’u Abdulkadir Jibrin, expressed concern over environmental degradation and potential health risks associated with mining, particularly the improper handling and release of hazardous substances.
Jibrin called on the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and relevant regulatory agencies to ensure strict compliance with environmental and safety requirements by licensed mining companies operating in the state.
He also urged operators to adopt effective measures to prevent and control environmental toxicity, stressing that the expansion of mining activities should not compromise the health and wellbeing of host communities.
The workshop brought together representatives of government ministries and agencies, the organised private sector, Kano Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KACCIMA), mining cooperatives, development partners and regulatory bodies.
By PRNigeria
