The Federal Government (FG) through the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has approved about 499 licenses for the purchase and sale of solid minerals in Nigeria in 2023. This was disclosed by Dele Alake, Minister of Solid Minerals Development, during his keynote speech with the theme ‘Digging Deeper: Diversifying Nigeria’s Economy for Wealth Creation’ at Solid Minerals Conference on Tuesday.
He said, “The Ministry continues to facilitate the processing of applications for permits to refine minerals and to process and purchase. Last year, no fewer than 499 licenses were granted to applicants involved in the business of purchasing and sales of minerals.
“Predictably, applications for the purchase and sale of Lithium topped the list with 146 licenses, followed by Gold, 91; Tin, 46 and Coal, 32. Other minerals for which licences were granted include Tantalite, Iron Ore, Kaolin, Feldspar, Beryl, Baryte, Columbite, Mica and Aquamarine.”
Regarding illegal miners and miners’ co-operatives, Alake said, “Our campaign against illegal mining and call on artisanal miners to form co-operatives and get government recognition, support and legal basis to mine is yielding fruits. To date, there are 2,329 registered artisanal miners co-operatives in the country.
“In 2023, 123 co-operatives were registered. It is significant that 77 of 123 opted for registration following my appeal to them to join hands with the Federal Government.
“The Ministry provides extension services to these co-operatives by improving their book-keeping skills and drilling techniques. I wish to further urge artisanal miners to come together and register as co-operatives.”
