The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to collaborate with other African countries to sustain the development of Africa’s natural resources, statement from the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development has said.
The statement, which was signed by the Head, Press and Public Relations in the Ministry, Alaba Balogun, said that the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Mary Ogbe made this known during the briefing of the Diplomatic Community on the up-coming Africa Natural Resource and Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS-2023), scheduled to hold between 31st October to 2nd November, 2023.
During the briefing, which held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Headquarters in Abuja, the Permanent Secretary explained that through the AFNIS Summit, which is an African knowledge sharing platform initiated by the Nigerian Government, Nigeria will work with fellow African Nations to continue the sustainable development of Africa’s natural resources through knowledge sharing, investment and trade.
She stated: ”This forum was initiated to strategize on how Africa can continue to receive investment from its vast mineral resource deposits while also protecting its environment,” adding that the summit would therefore serve as a global platform for Africa to encourage investment in its power, energy (oil and gas) and mining sectors.’
With preparations for the upcoming 2023 Edition of the African Natural Resource and Energy Investment Summit ( AFNIS) in top gear, Dr Ogbe urged African Countries and its allies to participate in building on the successes recorded during the maiden edition of AFNIS held last year 2022.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Adamu Ibrahim Lamuwa, said it is high time Africa gave adequate attention to the development of its huge natural and energy resources for the benefit of the African continent, saying that “a better Africa can be achieved with AFNIS.”
In his remarks, Managing Director, Core-I-Mine and co-founder AFNIS, Dr. Abubakar Lawal, said the theme of the summit – ”Towards a Just Transition” – is apt as it “will explore strategies to address challenges linked to the shift from fossil fuels, with a focus on minimizing adverse impacts on economies rooted in these sectors”.
To further buttress his position, the managing director said the central objective of AFNIS 2023 is to strike a delicate balance that supports Africa’s mining and energy sector growth, harness fossil fuels for industrialization, while also aligning with global climate change mitigation efforts”.
The three-day Summit will be attended by government officials from African countries, industry experts, academics and business leaders; with an agenda to deliberate on the intricacies of achieving a just transition within the mining and energy domains amongst others.
