The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has urged increased investment in local mineral processing, identifying value addition as a pathway to job creation, higher export earnings, and greater economic benefits from Nigeria’s solid minerals resources.
The council said developing domestic processing capacity would enable the country to move beyond exporting raw minerals and capture more value from its natural resources while strengthening the competitiveness of Nigerian products in international markets.
The Director of Solid Minerals at NEPC, Mr Samson Idowu, made the call on Wednesday at the 11th Nigeria Mining Week in Abuja while presenting a paper with the title “The Impact of Solid Minerals Exports on National Development.”
He identified value addition, technical skills development, and compliance with international standards as critical to expanding Nigeria’s presence in the global mineral trade.
Idowu also emphasised the need to prepare local exporters to meet international market requirements, including product quality, packaging, labelling, and export documentation.
He disclosed that NEPC reached more than 97,000 people across the export value chain through 728 capacity-building programmes in 2025. The figures, however, covered several sectors and were not limited to solid minerals businesses.
The programmes included training, mentorship and guidance on export procedures and quality standards. However, no specific figures were provided on the number of mineral exporters trained or the extent to which the interventions improved their export performance.
Idowu advocated greater adoption of digital technologies in mining, saying their application could improve operational efficiency and create opportunities for engineers and other professionals.
He stressed that strengthening technical capacity would be important to improving productivity and enabling Nigerian businesses to compete more effectively in international markets.
The council also called for greater participation by women in the mining industry, particularly through improved access to technology, skills development and business opportunities.
On artisanal and small-scale mining, Idowu advocated formalisation through registration and cooperative arrangements to help operators access institutional support and participate in structured export markets.
“Formalising artisanal and small-scale mining operations through registration and cooperative structures will help miners access institutional support and participate more effectively in the export market,” he said.
Such arrangements, he noted, could help smaller operators improve their organisation and meet the requirements for participation in formal markets.
However, the extent to which artisanal miners can benefit will depend on access to the technical and institutional support required to improve production, maintain quality and comply with regulations.
Stakeholders Urged to Promote Responsible Mining
Idowu further highlighted the importance of maintaining constructive relationships with host communities and adopting technologies that support responsible mining practices.
He called for stronger collaboration among government agencies, mining companies and other stakeholders to improve policy coordination, facilitate regional trade and widen access to international markets.
“Compliance with regulations, transparent business practices, and sustainable mining operations are essential to building investor confidence and improving Nigeria’s position in global mineral markets,” he said.
Although the proposals outlined measures to strengthen Nigeria’s mineral export capacity, the presentation did not announce specific processing investments, new funding commitments or implementation timelines.
The challenge, therefore, remains translating the recommendations into practical interventions that expand local processing, improve the capacity of smaller operators and increase the contribution of solid minerals to employment and export earnings.
The 11th Nigeria Mining Week was organised by the Miners Association of Nigeria in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers Nigeria and the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. The conference was held under the theme “Unlocking Investment and Growth through Partnerships.”
