The Federal Government has affirmed the benefits of the World Bank-funded Mineral Sector Support for Economic Diversification (MinDiver) project, stating that it did much to boost investments, create employment opportunities, fostered economic linkages while building institutional capacity in the mining sector.
Minister for Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake disclosed this during the MinDiver Project Closure Workshop, which held at the Valencia Hotel, Wuse II, in Abuja.
Dr Alake, who was represented by the Director-General of the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency, Dr AbdulRazak Garba, commended the impactful achievements of the MinDiver project in enhancing and strengthening capacity, fostering economic linkages and creating employment opportunities through its consistent interventions in implementation of mandate of the Ministry and it’s agencies.
Speaking on its milestones, the Minister reeled some of these significant contributions of MinDiver project to include elevating capacity of National Geological Survey Agency to generate geoscience data, foster mining investments through upgrade to the mining Cadastre Office, successful launching of the Minerals Resources Decision Support System, extensive capacity development initiatives in the Ministry, including those for the Artisanal and Small Scale Mining (ASM) department and other departments across various agencies.
Dr. Alake expressed gratitude to the World Bank for its notable funding interventions towards strengthening institutional capacity and sustainable growth of the nations mining sector through the implementation of MinDiver projects.
In his remarks, Engr. Sallim Sallam, Project Coordinator, MinDiver, extended his gratitude to the Minister, Permanent Secretary, the World Bank team, and all heads of departments and agencies for their unwavering support and cooperation.
“The success of the MinDiver project is a testament to the power of collaboration and shared vision.
“We are confident that the strides we have made will continue to positively impact the mining sector and contribute to Nigeria’s economic diversification,” Engineer Sallam added.
The event featured several goodwill messages and key highlights including presentation of a documentary on MinDiver Project activities and the Nigeria Mining Sector titled ”A Retrospective of Project Implementation – Strides and Successes of Mindiver Project,” and Stakeholders Panel Discussion titled “Impact of MinDiver Activities on the Rapid Development of the Mining Sector.”
