Nigeria’s National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has urged the establishment of a national policy to cease the export of the nation’s solid minerals. This proposal aims to promote in-country processing of these minerals and the local manufacturing of their end-products.
Dr. Bashir Gwandu, the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of NASENI, disclosed this during a meeting with Dr. Abdulrazaq Garba, the Director-General of the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA), at the NASENI headquarters in Abuja. The leaders agreed to collaborate on enhancing the value of the country’s abundant mineral resources and transforming them into products that would generate jobs and stimulate the economy.
Dr. Gwandu emphasized the importance of domesticating Nigeria’s solid minerals and the need to attract foreign investments for local production. He noted the mismanaged exportation of lithium, a mineral abundant in Nigeria and used in the manufacture of electric car batteries, by illegal miners. In response, NASENI has invited foreign companies, including Chinese investors, to explore local manufacturing opportunities for lithium batteries in Nigeria.
The NASENI chief expressed the agency’s interest in partnering with organizations focused on converting domestic raw materials into value-adding end products. Dr. Garba of NGSA reciprocated this sentiment, stressing the necessity for inter-agency cooperation to optimize the use of Nigeria’s raw materials.
The meeting culminated in the NGSA handing over Nigeria’s Geological map to NASENI, indicating the country’s rich mineral deposits and raw materials. Both agencies agreed to escalate the issue to the government’s highest echelons to advocate for the proposed export ban policy.
SOURCE: Vanguard
IMAGE: Online
