Session 4The need for dynamism: Nigeria's strategic minerals for industrialisation, green energy-based growth, and national security
Moderated by: Lumun Amanda Feese, Consultant, Vuka Group
Background
Nigeria needs a dynamic policy framework to manage the minerals that are strategic to its industrialisation, green energy, and national security and continuously update its mineral list. The EU, Australia, and Canada have established critical minerals acts and lists to secure supply chains and promote sustainability. The US has initiatives addressing critical mineral supply chains. Nigeria should develop a similar framework but emphasise securing domestic supply chains for the manufacturing sector, catalysing inclusive growth and industrialisation, and enhancing national security. The framework should prioritise iron and steel development, develop its green minerals potential, develop its development minerals potential, and address the links between informality, illicit economies, violent conflicts, extremism and gold, tin, lithium, tantalum, and gemstones.
Purpose
This session identifies Nigeria's strategic mineral approach gaps and advocates for a dynamic framework for identifying, defining, designating, exploring, mining, processing, and recycling minerals and updating strategic mineral lists that are strategic to Nigeria's inclusive economic growth, industrialisation, and national security. It will discuss the African Union's green minerals strategy and potential solutions to address conflict mineral risks in Nigeria.
Presentation: Disrupting Conflict Risks in Mining
The presentation will analyse the dynamics of regional response, violent extremism, and transnational organised crime, focusing on minerals associated with conflict, such as gold, tin, tantalum, lithium, and gemstones. It will draw lessons from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Angola, how they addressed blood diamond risks, and the Democratic Republic of Congo's conflict mineral strategies. Finally, it will propose solutions to disrupt the risks and convert them into Nigeria's peace, development, and economic growth opportunities. These solutions include governance, institutional, fiscal, financial, monetary, sub-regional, regional strategies, policies, legislation, and regulations.
Presenter: Onyinye Onwuka PhD, Head, Mediation and Coordination of the Regional Political Affairs Division, ECOWAS Commission
Presentation: Nurturing and Promoting Nigeria's Exploration and Mining Champions in the Quest for Sustainable Development of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Sector
The presentation will critically examine why nurturing and promoting Nigerian emerging and junior explorers and mining champions is essential for driving economic growth, job creation, and the development of the Nigerian mining industry, securing investments, enhancing Nigeria’s ability to compete globally, and positioning Nigeria’s mining industry as fully open for business opportunities.
Presenter: Professor Akinade Olatunji, Professor of Applied & Environmental Geochemistry, University of Ibadan, Representing Rapidlink Group of Companies Limited, Nigeria
Panel Discussions:
- Systems: Use of systems for identifying, designating, and developing strategic mineral feedstocks required in Nigeria’s manufacturing and construction sector
- Strategic mineral reserves: Strategies to explore and develop strategic mineral reserves effectively and develop and utilise its green energy minerals potential
- Geological and technical challenges: Fundamental geological and technical challenges to be addressed to get energy and other strategic minerals to market quickly
- Bridging the gap: Nigeria's approach to identifying, designating, and developing strategic minerals: Current limitations, and NGSA’s strategy to bridge the gap
- Conflict mineral risk lessons from Liberia and Sierra Leone: Addressing violent extremism and conflict minerals in the ECOWAS sub-region, using lessons from blood diamond risk management
- Beyond bans: Addressing conflict mineral risks through institutional, policy, security, sub-regional strategies, and incentives
Participants
Warwick Crowe, Principal Geologist, Titan Minerals Limited
Prof Olusegun O. Ige, Director General, Nigeria Geological Survey Agency (NGSA)
James E. E. Ogbonna, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment (FMITI)
Dr. Ola Bello, Executive Director, Nigeria, Good Governance Africa
Marilyn Obaisa-Osula, Head of Sustainability and Partner, PwC Nigeria
Q&A session