TLM Nigeria: “We aim to bring more advanced, reliable and cost-effective Chinese-made equipment to Nigeria”
Exclusive interview with Bassel Mourad, CEO of Rapidlink Group, sponsor for the upcoming Nigeria Mining Week 2026.
Rapidlink Group is a diversified holding company that has operated in Nigeria for over 25 years, with interests spanning Solid Minerals, Oil and Gas, and Construction. Our subsidiaries deliver front-end and back-end logistics support to the maritime and oil and gas sub-sectors, technical and administrative labour support and consultancy, solid minerals prospecting, exploration and mining, EPC services, road and civil engineering construction, and vessel management services. Across all of these, our guiding philosophy has been operational excellence and a disciplined, sustainable approach to growth by building long-term value for our stakeholders rather than chasing short-term wins.
In the exploration and mining space, Rapidlink’s core offering is professional, internationally aligned mineral exploration by generating credible, verifiable geological data with JORC/NI 403 reporting standard that investors and government partners can rely on. Our exploration expertise and hands-on production capability is what sets Rapidlink apart: we don’t just identify what’s in the ground, we know how to bring it to productive use.
Nigeria remains the core of our operations. We handled critical work on metals under NIMEP. Beyond Nigeria, we are active in Ghana and the Republic of Congo. Looking ahead, our growth strategy is to deepen what we’ve built in Nigeria as the data and regulatory environment continues to improve by partnering with government to de-risk the sector and serving the private sector to build world class projects, while continuing to build out our presence in Ghana and the wider West and Central African region.
Nigeria is not just important to Rapidlink, it is the foundation of who we are. We have built our track record here over 25 years, and our mining division has grown steadily over the past decade working alongside both public and private sector partners. As the Federal Government positions solid minerals as central to economic diversification, we see Nigeria’s mining sector entering a genuinely transformative period, and we intend to remain at the centre of that story.
We are genuinely excited. With the lull that has periodically affected the oil and gas sector, mining has enormous potential to help rescue and diversify the Nigerian economy, this is a view we have held consistently. Government initiatives such as the National Integrated Mineral Exploration Project and the more recent centralisation of geological data under the National Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) are addressing the data-scarcity problem that has historically discouraged serious investment. For Rapidlink, this means more credible, standardised data to work with, a more de-risked operating environment, and growing demand for the kind of professional, competent and internationally-aligned exploration services we provide.
Rapidlink has been a key participant in undertaking various explorations for critical metals like lithium, tin, tantalum, gold and niobium across several project areas both for public and private sectors.
Nigeria Mining Week has grown into a continental platform that reflects the real progress and policy direction of the sector. For us, it is far more than an expo, it is where government, investors, operators and technical partners converge to shape the conversations and communiqués that go on to influence sectoral policy. Our continued sponsorship reflects our belief in that value, and our commitment to supporting Nigeria’s ambition of becoming a globally competitive mining destination.
Our message is one of measured optimism: Nigeria is moving in the right direction. The Federal Government’s focus on data generation, policy reform and stakeholder collaboration is laying a strong foundation, and this year’s emphasis on expanding domestic processing capacity is exactly the right next step to create a sustainable value chain by moving the sector beyond raw exploration toward real value addition. We encourage all stakeholders, government, investors and operators alike, to sustain this momentum, because the progress made so far, while still early-stage, is undeniable.
Rapidlink remains committed to doing things the right way with meticulous exploration, strict health, safety and environmental standards, and close collaboration with government institutions like the MMSD, SMDF and NGSA. We believe this is the only sustainable path to growth for Nigeria’s mining sector and we will continue to be part of it.