Nigeria and Murdoch University, Western Australia, have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening knowledge transfer and professional capacity building in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector.
This was made known when the Nigerian delegation to Africa Down Under (ADU) 2026 held strategic discussions with the university’s management on the next phase of the Nigeria–Australia Resource Industry Collaboration and Capacity Building Program.
The delegation, led by the representative of the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr. Dele Alake, Director-General of the Mining Cadastre Office, Engr. Obadiah Nkom, met with Professor Dee O’Connor, Dean, School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, and other representatives of Murdoch University on the sidelines of the conference.
The engagement focused on consolidating the gains of the programme’s first two cohorts and developing an expanded third phase with stronger industry exposure, longer practical engagement and a sharper focus on preparing Nigerian mining professionals to identify, develop and present commercially viable opportunities.
The Nigeria–Australia programme, a partnership between the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and Murdoch University, has already trained two cohorts of 11 Nigerian officials each since its launch in June 2025.
The programme combines technical, policy and leadership learning with field visits, industry engagement, job shadowing, workshops and exposure to Australia’s world-class resources governance and mining ecosystem.
Nkom said knowledge transfer was central to Nigeria’s mining reform agenda, stressing that sustainable transformation of the sector required Nigeria to build the human capacity to absorb and apply global best practices.
“Minister Dele Alake’s vision is not simply to attract capital and technology into Nigeria, but to ensure that Nigerians acquire the knowledge and expertise to deploy, manage and ultimately advance those capabilities themselves. This partnership with Murdoch University is therefore a critical investment in the people who will drive the next generation of Nigeria’s mining industry,” Nkom said.
He said the proposed third cohort would build on the experience of the first two intakes by introducing stronger industry immersion, internships or job-shadowing opportunities, live industry case studies and training that would enable participants to develop investor-ready mining opportunities.
Professor Dee O’Connor reaffirmed Murdoch University’s commitment to the partnership, saying the institution was ready to continue supporting Nigeria’s ambition to build a responsible, technically capable and globally competitive resources sector.
“We are very pleased to continue this partnership with Nigeria. Our commitment is to deepen the exchange of knowledge and experience between our institutions and to ensure that the programme continues to respond to the real needs of Nigeria’s mining sector and its people,” she said.
The partnership reflects the broader objective of the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development to build a knowledge-driven mining sector capable of attracting investment, promoting responsible resource development, strengthening local expertise and driving value addition.
For Nigeria, the collaboration also provides a platform for sustained institutional cooperation with Australian universities, regulators, industry and research institutions, ensuring that international expertise is translated into lasting Nigerian capacity.
The proposed third phase will therefore seek to move beyond conventional professional training towards practical knowledge transfer, industry immersion and the development of a new cadre of Nigerian mining professionals equipped to contribute directly to exploration, project development, investment promotion, ESG compliance and downstream value addition.
A statement from the ministry, signed by Lara Owoeye-Wise, Special Assistant on Media to the Minister, noted that the engagement focused on consolidating the gains of the programme’s first two cohorts and developing an expanded third phase with stronger industry exposure, longer practical engagement and a sharper focus on preparing Nigerian mining professionals to identify, develop and present commercially viable opportunities.
The Nigeria–Australia programme, a partnership between the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and Murdoch University, has already trained two cohorts of 11 Nigerian officials each since its launch in June 2025.
The programme combines technical, policy and leadership learning with field visits, industry engagement, job shadowing, workshops and exposure to Australia’s world-class resources governance and mining ecosystem.
Nkom said knowledge transfer was central to Nigeria’s mining reform agenda, stressing that sustainable transformation of the sector required Nigeria to build the human capacity to absorb and apply global best practices.
“Minister Dele Alake’s vision is not simply to attract capital and technology into Nigeria, but to ensure that Nigerians acquire the knowledge and expertise to deploy, manage and ultimately advance those capabilities themselves. This partnership with Murdoch University is therefore a critical investment in the people who will drive the next generation of Nigeria’s mining industry,” Nkom said.
He said the proposed third cohort would build on the experience of the first two intakes by introducing stronger industry immersion, internships or job-shadowing opportunities, live industry case studies and training that would enable participants to develop investor-ready mining opportunities.
Professor Dee O’Connor reaffirmed Murdoch University’s commitment to the partnership, saying the institution was ready to continue supporting Nigeria’s ambition to build a responsible, technically capable and globally competitive resources sector.
“We are very pleased to continue this partnership with Nigeria. Our commitment is to deepen the exchange of knowledge and experience between our institutions and to ensure that the programme continues to respond to the real needs of Nigeria’s mining sector and its people,” she said.
The partnership reflects the broader objective of the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development to build a knowledge-driven mining sector capable of attracting investment, promoting responsible resource development, strengthening local expertise and driving value addition.
For Nigeria, the collaboration also provides a platform for sustained institutional cooperation with Australian universities, regulators, industry and research institutions, ensuring that international expertise is translated into lasting Nigerian capacity.
The proposed third phase will therefore seek to move beyond conventional professional training towards practical knowledge transfer, industry immersion and the development of a new cadre of Nigerian mining professionals equipped to contribute directly to exploration, project development, investment promotion, ESG compliance and downstream value addition.
