Nigeria, France strengthen mining ties, commit to upgrading geological infrastructure

As part of efforts to deepen the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding to develop joint projects to promote critical minerals signed in Paris last month, the Federal Government and France have reinforced their mining sector partnership with concrete commitments.

The commitments include upgrading Nigeria’s geological laboratories, providing advanced technological equipment, and funding the exploration of geological data for the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency.

At a meeting held on the sidelines of the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, both nations outlined concrete steps to upgrade Nigeria’s geological infrastructure, enhance technology transfer, and promote sustainable mining practices.

Special Adviser to the Minister, Kehinde Bamigbetan, said in a Monday statement that “the Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dr Dele Alake, and France’s Interministerial Delegate for Strategic Minerals, Benjamin Gallezot, led their respective delegations in discussions centred on aligning policies, sharing expertise, and fostering investments in Nigeria’s mining industry.”

Recall that last year, the Solid Mineral Ministry during an official visit of President Bola Tinubu to France, pledged to develop joint projects to promote and diversify the value chain of the critical minerals in the solid minerals sector of both countries.

The statement noted that, “Both countries also resolved to exchange information on their respective mining laws to facilitate collaboration on cadastral management and strategies to combat illegal mining.”

During the meeting, Gallezot revealed that his department is screening a list of French companies interested in investing in Nigeria’s mining sector, with plans to forward a final selection of credible investors to the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.

Alake commended Gallezot for his efforts in finalising the MoU despite time constraints during President Bola Tinubu’s visit to French President Emmanuel Macron.

He noted that the ongoing forum provides an opportunity to design policies and projects that will solidify cooperation and yield positive results.

Key discussion points included sustainable mining practices, artisanal mining, geological exploration, cadastral management, training, and funding.

The Director-General of NGSA, Professor Olusegun Ige, in his comments, highlighted “the urgent need for advanced technological equipment to accelerate the exploration of Nigeria’s mineral-rich areas.”

He emphasised that laboratory upgrades are crucial to accurately analyzing extracted rock samples using modern tools.

Harping on the need for training and skills transfer, Professor Ige emphasised the need to develop local expertise with international exposure because mining is a global business.

In his contribution, the Director-General of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, Simon Nkom, called for comparing the mining laws of France and Nigeria to detect areas of common practices and improvement, adding that this could be useful to the ongoing review of mining laws.

Simon canvassed the French delegation to encourage “French investors to explore opportunities in Nigerian mining by leveraging the MOU.”

Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Solid Minerals Fund, Hajiya Fatima Shinkafi, in her presentation, proposed the co-funding of early-stage exploration projects by the agency and French financial institutions, informing that the SMDF has acquired a lot of historical data and best practices from its current collaboration with the Africa Finance Corporation to fund mining entrepreneurs seeking funding for exploration.

Replying to matters raised by NGSA, Deputy Director, Bureau de Recherches Geologiques et Minieres, the French geological agency, Christophe Poinssot, promised to “include Nigeria among the countries benefitting from funds managed by France to build the capacity of geologists in Africa.”

Noting that over 1,000 African geologists have benefitted from the eight-year fund, he said the request for capacity building in line with the MOU came when the new phase of the funding project was about to start.

Poinssot also announced that Nigeria would benefit from France’s programme of empowering mining countries by building laboratories for geological analysis, adding that since Nigeria has a laboratory, France would upgrade it to meet international standards.

Concluding the position of the French delegation on the talks, Gallezot said the proposals at the talks would be discussed at various levels of the government, and a programme for execution worked out.

He said both countries’ geological agencies could conduct joint exploration work on specific minerals to develop a robust database.

The parties resolved to develop the programme and review the implementation during next month’s annual Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa.