The Federal Government is backing the South-South Development Commission as it works to turn the region’s solid minerals into investment, jobs and lasting growth, Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dr Dele Alake said on Tuesday.
Alake made the pledge when a commission delegation led by Director General Usoro Offiong Akpabio paid a courtesy visit to the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja. A statement from Lara Owoeye-Wise, Special Assistant on Media to the minister, said the meeting fits President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s plan to use the new geopolitical development commissions to speed up development and unlock the economic strength of Nigeria’s six zones.
He noted that the South-South, long known for oil and gas, also holds substantial solid mineral deposits and is well placed in the national drive to diversify the economy. Ministry reforms, he said, are repositioning the sector as a driver of industrialisation through local value addition, responsible mining, investment promotion and tighter regulation.
Since those reforms began, he said, federal revenue from the sector has risen sharply, more than 2.6 billion dollars in foreign direct investment has come in, and mineral processing plants have created jobs for Nigerians across the country. He urged South-South states to use the federal framework that lets them take part in mining through state-owned special purpose vehicles and properly obtained titles, adding that several states have already secured mining licence approvals that way.
Alake warned against states going it alone with their own mining rules. Investors need a consistent regulator, he said, not overlapping authorities. The ministry and the commission share the same aim, he added, and only need to align their methods. He assured the commission of the ministry’s cooperation.
Akpabio said the commission wants a practical partnership on sustainable mining, environmental innovation, investment and jobs. It would follow ministry policy and work with state authorities and security agencies, especially on training and bringing artisanal miners into the formal system.
Both sides agreed that regional stakeholder and investment meetings would help put specific mineral opportunities in front of investors. Alake said the ministry would bring the commission into those sessions, describing it as a possible engine of deeper investment and development in the South-South.
The meeting is part of a wider push to link mineral resources with the Tinubu administration’s regional development bodies. Similar talks have already seen groups such as the Northwest Development Coalition seek ministry partnerships to put mineral wealth to work for regional growth.
