The Federal Government has pledged its support for the South-South Development Commission (SSDC) to develop the region’s solid mineral resources as part of efforts to create jobs, attract investment and diversify the economy.
Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, made the commitment when the Director-General of the SSDC, Usoro Akpabio, led a delegation from the commission on a courtesy visit to the ministry in Abuja.
Alake said developing the South-South’s mineral deposits was consistent with President Bola Tinubu’s broader strategy of using the six geopolitical development commissions to unlock economic opportunities and promote development across Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Lara Owoeye-Wise, Alake noted that the region could no longer depend exclusively on its oil and gas industry when it also had substantial solid mineral resources.
He said developing the minerals sector alongside the region’s established petroleum industry would enable the South-South to play a stronger role in the Federal Government’s economic diversification programme.
“The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has pledged the Ministry’s full support to the South-South Development Commission to harness the region’s solid mineral resources for investment, job creation and sustainable development.”
According to Alake, reforms being implemented by the ministry were designed to position mining as a key contributor to industrialisation through local processing, responsible mining practices, increased investment and improved regulation.
He also pointed to the sector’s rising financial contribution to the government and growing foreign investor interest, saying mining reforms had attracted more than $2.6bn in foreign direct investment into Nigeria.
The minister added that new mineral processing facilities had been established, creating employment opportunities in the process.
Alake encouraged South-South states to utilise the Federal Government’s framework that permits states to participate directly in mining through properly structured state-owned special purpose vehicles and valid mining titles.
He said several states had already secured approvals under the arrangement.
“Several states have already secured mining licence approvals through this framework.”
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However, Alake cautioned state governments against implementing measures that could contradict federal mining regulations, stressing that investors needed a stable and predictable regulatory environment.
He warned that conflicting policies and the involvement of multiple authorities could undermine investor confidence and discourage long-term capital commitments to the sector.
“We have a commonality of objective; we just need to harmonise our strategies and tactics to achieve it.”
The minister assured the SSDC delegation that his ministry would collaborate with the commission to develop commercially viable mineral projects in the region and attract investors.
Earlier, Akpabio said the commission was interested in establishing a practical working relationship with the ministry focused on sustainable mining, environmental innovation, investment mobilisation and employment generation.
She said the SSDC would align its programmes with the ministry’s policies while collaborating with state governments and security agencies to create a more conducive environment for mining.
Akpabio also identified the training and formalisation of artisanal miners as a priority, noting that many currently operate outside the formal regulatory system.
She said bringing artisanal mining into the formal framework would help improve government revenue, promote safer mining practices and address environmental damage linked to unregulated operations.
The commission and the ministry also agreed to pursue regional stakeholder and investment engagements aimed at showcasing specific mineral opportunities across the South-South and connecting investors with viable projects.
In response, Alake said the ministry would include the SSDC in such investment initiatives, describing the commission as a potential driver of increased investment and economic development in the region.
The partnership comes amid the Federal Government’s growing effort to link its mining reforms with the geopolitical development commissions established by the Tinubu administration.
The approach is intended to expand economic activity around Nigeria’s mineral resources beyond the traditional oil-producing areas while encouraging states and regional development institutions to take a more active role in the mining value chain.